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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stem — to come from
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — thin
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. snap — to click
  12. court — for sport
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cue — a hint
  17. lean — to bend
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cue — for pool
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mine — an explosive

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