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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.

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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. cap — a lid
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. cue — a signal
  7. race — a contest
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cue — for pool
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. race — humankind
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cap — of ice
  21. drill — army training
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cap — a hat
  24. snap — to click

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