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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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 — a signal
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cue — for pool
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bark — to shout
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lean — thin
  13. snap — to click
  14. chest — of your body
  15. game — a match
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lean — to bend
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. chest — a box
  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