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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: nail · stand · bay · kid · squash · lash · fall · snap

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — to crush
  9. snap — to click
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. kid — child
  12. stand — to bear
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. fall — to drop
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. squash — the sport
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fall — the season
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. stand — on your feet

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