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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cue — a signal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. hand — help
  7. charge — in control
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cue — a hint
  12. snap — to click
  13. shower — to wash
  14. charge — a price
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cue — for pool
  17. hand — in cards
  18. shower — rain

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