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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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Word bank
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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. snap — to click
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wound — an injury
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rush — hurry
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. band — a ring
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mug — a face
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mug — a cup
  22. game — a match
  23. mug — to rob
  24. band — a music group

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