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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 · rush · snap · bat · bank · fall · ground · club

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. snap — to click
  6. cue — a signal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — the season
  10. ground — a position
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fall — to drop
  18. club — for golf
  19. ground — the earth
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — a group
  24. fall — to drop

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