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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 · snap · date · track · face · firm · perch · pitcher

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. snap — to click
  3. face — to point toward
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. face — to confront
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. track — a song
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. face — part of the head
  13. track — a path
  14. firm — steady
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. firm — a company
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. date — the fruit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. firm — decided

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