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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: chip · bass · cue · mug · spring · lash · kid · pound

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spring — of water
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. spring — the season
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mug — a face
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mug — a cup
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mug — to rob
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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