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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cue — a signal
  4. net — for catching
  5. snap — to click
  6. scale — size or range
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. scale — in music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bore — to drill
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cap — a lid
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cue — for pool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — after costs
  21. cap — a hat
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. net — in 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