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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. drill — the tool
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rush — hurry
  15. kid — child
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cue — a hint
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cue — a signal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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