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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cue — for pool
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. mark — a trace
  7. snap — to click
  8. cue — a signal
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cue — a hint
  13. foot — a measure
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wind — moving air
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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