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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. snap — to click
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cue — for pool
  8. row — a line
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. track — a path
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cell — in biology
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cue — a signal
  19. track — to keep track
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. ball — a great time
  22. track — a song
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cue — a hint

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