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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cue — a signal
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. coach — a trainer

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