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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · mate · bass · bowl · lash · saw · swing · snap

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. swing — music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. swing — in golf
  5. snap — to click
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mate — a partner
  22. swing — to play on
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com