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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. land — a country
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. land — ground
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kick — in football
  17. cue — for pool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. spring — of water
  22. cue — a signal
  23. land — to come down
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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