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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: spell · dip · track · snap · row · lash · rest · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — to sink
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. sharp — clever
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. track — a path
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. spell — magic
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — a line
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rest — a break
  21. row — to paddle
  22. track — a song
  23. spell — letters
  24. dip — a sauce

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