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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: lash · lie · sharp · shower · snap · jam · kid · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bass — the fish
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. shower — rain
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. snap — to click
  12. lie — to recline
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. lash — an eyelash

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