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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. root — of a word
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. snap — to click
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — the season
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cue — a hint
  16. root — the cause
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fall — to drop
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mark — a trace
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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