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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. last — to go on
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. snap — to click
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — a list
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bank — for money
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cue — a hint
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. last — finally
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pitch — completely
  23. last — final
  24. bank — of a river

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