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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: rash · snap · racket · saw · clip · shower · cue · fan

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rash — hasty
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to click
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cue — a signal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cue — for pool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — a video
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rash — a series
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. shower — rain
  24. saw — the tool

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