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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. roll — a list
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. file — a line of people
  5. prune — to trim
  6. file — a document
  7. ball — a dance
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ball — a great time
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. file — a tool
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. sharp — clever
  15. prune — to trim
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cue — a signal
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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