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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. land — a country
  4. cue — a signal
  5. court — for sport
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. land — to come down
  8. roll — a list
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. content — happy
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cue — a hint
  16. content — the amount
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. court — of law
  21. snap — to click
  22. land — ground
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. court — of a king

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