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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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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: ruler · bat · cold · rock · snap · pass · firm · lash

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pass — a permit
  4. firm — decided
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. firm — steady
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rock — music
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cold — not warm
  21. firm — a company
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — the Cold War

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