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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cue — a hint
  6. net — for catching
  7. face — to confront
  8. bear — the animal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. net — after costs
  13. wake — a trail
  14. season — of the year
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. snap — to click
  18. root — of a word
  19. face — part of the head
  20. root — of a plant
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. root — the cause
  24. season — in sport

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