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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. last — to go on
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. present — there
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. present — a gift
  9. season — in sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. season — of the year
  12. last — finally
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. snap — to click
  15. present — the time now
  16. spell — a short time
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. last — final
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mine — for digging

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