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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: cap · mate · bark · lash · net · chip · snap · charge

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cap — of ice
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. charge — a price
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. net — in sport
  12. mate — to breed
  13. net — after costs
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cap — a hat
  17. charge — electricity
  18. net — for catching
  19. snap — to click
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. charge — in control
  22. cap — a lid
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mate — a partner

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