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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: mark · cue · object · kid · season · lash · field · snap

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. object — an aim
  3. season — in sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. field — for sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. season — of the year
  15. mark — a grade
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cue — a signal
  21. kid — child
  22. cue — for pool
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to click

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