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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. capital — money
  5. root — of a word
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cue — a hint
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. root — of a plant
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cue — for pool
  18. capital — a city
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. root — the cause
  24. cue — a signal

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