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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: rock · court · snap · clip · lash · cell · rush · pit

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pit — a hole
  12. clip — a video
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. snap — to click
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cell — a phone
  23. court — of a king
  24. clip — for paper

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