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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.

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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: cue · lash · land · race · season · lean · net · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. cue — a hint
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. season — in sport
  10. snap — to click
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cue — for pool
  13. race — humankind
  14. land — ground
  15. net — after costs
  16. cue — a signal
  17. season — of the year
  18. net — in sport
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. race — a contest
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. net — for catching
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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