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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: snap · lash · cue · squash · race · band · racket · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. snap — to click
  3. band — a ring
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. band — a music group
  6. squash — to crush
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. race — humankind
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cue — a hint
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cue — a signal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. race — a contest
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. squash — the sport
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cue — for pool
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. race — the arms race

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