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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 120 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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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. cue — a hint
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. snap — to click
  8. cue — for pool
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. sharp — clever
  16. field — for sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cue — a signal

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