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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cue — a signal
  3. track — a song
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. snap — to click
  7. cue — a hint
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pitch — completely

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