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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. lean — to bend
  3. snap — to click
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. club — a group
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mug — a cup
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cue — for pool
  15. club — for golf
  16. lean — thin
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mug — a face
  22. club — for dancing
  23. spell — a short time
  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