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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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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: snap · last · current · lash · ground · hide · rock · file

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. file — a tool
  6. last — final
  7. ground — a position
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. last — to go on
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. file — a document
  12. rock — music
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. ground — crushed
  15. current — of water
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. last — finally
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rock — a stone
  22. ground — the earth
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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