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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mark — a trace
  3. spell — magic
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. capital — a city
  6. spell — a short time
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mark — a grade
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. snap — to click
  17. swing — music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. capital — money
  20. spell — letters
  21. swing — to play on
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. lie — to recline
  24. swing — in golf

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