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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cue — a signal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. net — for catching
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. stock — goods
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bore — to drill
  18. net — after costs
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bore — to tire
  24. net — in sport

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