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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 120 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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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: rock · snap · rash · pass · cue · game · trunk · wind

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. game — a match
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. snap — to click
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cue — for pool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rock — music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rash — a series
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rock — to move gently

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