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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · plane · snap · pass · rule · stock · court · mouse

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. court — for sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. court — of law
  8. stock — shares
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. court — of a king
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. snap — to click
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stock — goods
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. plane — a tool
  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