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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cue — a signal
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cue — for pool
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. net — in sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. clip — to cut
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. net — for catching
  17. clip — for paper
  18. net — after costs
  19. land — a country
  20. clip — a video
  21. cue — a hint
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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