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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. field — a subject
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. deal — to handle
  12. field — for sport
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. wind — moving air
  17. snap — to click
  18. field — farmland
  19. mug — a cup
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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