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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cue — a hint
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. file — a tool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. file — a document
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — a short time
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cue — for pool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. file — a line of people
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. object — to protest
  21. fall — the season
  22. object — a thing
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. object — an aim

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