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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · game · pop · cue · snap · mine · saw · lash

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. snap — to click
  4. mine — for digging
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. game — wild animals
  11. field — farmland
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — soda
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. field — for sport
  17. pop — music
  18. cue — a signal
  19. field — a subject
  20. pop — to visit
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cue — for pool

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