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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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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: track · bat · band · snap · cue · rest · mine · rush

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. track — to keep track
  4. snap — to click
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cue — for pool
  13. track — a path
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a song
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a music group
  23. cue — a signal
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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