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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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stand — to bear
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cue — a signal
  7. net — in sport
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. net — for catching
  13. march — music
  14. ball — a great time
  15. spell — a short time
  16. march — the month
  17. net — after costs
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cue — for pool
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spell — magic
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — letters

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