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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: stock · lash · snap · temple · hand · swing · perch · pitch

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. snap — to click
  7. stock — shares
  8. swing — music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stock — goods
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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