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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 124 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cue — for pool
  3. hand — help
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. swing — in golf
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cue — a signal
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. board — a committee
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. snap — to click
  18. board — to get on
  19. hand — in cards
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. track — a song
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. swing — to play on

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