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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. staff — employees
  3. cue — a hint
  4. snap — to click
  5. firm — decided
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. firm — steady
  16. cue — for pool
  17. firm — a company
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cue — a signal
  21. staff — a stick
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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