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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: court · snap · band · lash · cell · stand · foot · stick

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. band — a music group
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cell — in biology
  7. band — a ring
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cell — a phone
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. court — of a king
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stand — to bear
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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