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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 124 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. snap — to click
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ground — crushed
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pop — music
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. game — a match
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — soda
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — the earth
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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