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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 116 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: lash · object · mouse · snap · rule · chair · bat · net

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. snap — to click
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. object — an aim
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. object — a thing
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. object — to protest
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rule — government
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. net — in sport
  24. rule — a law

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