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

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. spell — magic
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. toast — bread
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cue — a signal
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. spell — letters

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