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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: cue · lash · straw · rest · snap · mug · ground · chip

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rest — a break
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mug — to rob
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mug — a cup
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mug — a face
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ground — a position
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rest — what's left

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