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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. snap — to click
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. root — the cause
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. drill — army training
  10. root — of a word
  11. capital — a city
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. drill — a practice
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. drill — the tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. capital — money
  21. cue — a signal
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. root — of a plant

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