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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. swing — in golf
  3. kid — to tease
  4. staff — employees
  5. cue — a signal
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. staff — employees
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cue — for pool
  16. staff — a stick
  17. perch — the fish
  18. lean — thin
  19. swing — music
  20. kid — child
  21. cue — a hint
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. row — a line
  24. swing — to play on

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