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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cue — a signal
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. chip — to eat
  7. snap — to click
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. squash — to crush
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. hand — in cards
  14. track — a path
  15. chip — for betting
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. cue — for pool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. squash — the sport

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