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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 cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. snap — to click
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cue — for pool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wake — a trail
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cap — of ice

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