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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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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: plane · dip · snap · cue · rash · kick · staff · straw

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rash — hasty
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cue — for pool
  5. staff — employees
  6. snap — to click
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cue — a signal
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. kick — in football
  16. cue — a hint
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. plane — a tool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rash — a series

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