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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: stick · mug · cabinet · rash · snap · season · track · hand

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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 snap out of it
  2. rash — hasty
  3. season — in sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. snap — to click
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mug — a face
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — of the year
  16. track — a path
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. track — a song
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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