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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cold · foot · pitcher · lash · rash · game · snap · saw

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rash — a series
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. snap — to click
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. foot — a measure
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cold — an illness
  24. saw — the tool

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