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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: straw · calf · chip · band · snap · lash · pit · cue

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cue — a hint
  3. chip — for betting
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. band — a music group
  11. cue — a signal
  12. band — a ring
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. snap — to click
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pit — a hole
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. calf — of the leg

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