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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. cue — a hint
  3. present — the time now
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cue — a signal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bat — the animal
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. snap — to click

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