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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. rash — a series
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mug — a face
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bass — low music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to click
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mug — to rob
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mug — a cup

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