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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cold — an illness
  4. snap — to click
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. row — a line
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — to paddle
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. present — there
  16. fall — to drop
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. present — a gift
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fall — the season
  22. cue — a hint
  23. present — the time now
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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