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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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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: charge · land · swing · pound · last · snap · face · lash

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. face — to point toward
  3. charge — in control
  4. snap — to click
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. charge — electricity
  9. swing — music
  10. land — to come down
  11. swing — in golf
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. charge — a price
  15. last — finally
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. land — ground
  18. last — final
  19. pound — a weight
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. last — to go on
  23. land — a country
  24. face — to confront

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