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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. scale — size or range
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wound — an injury
  5. suit — to fit
  6. cue — for pool
  7. drill — army training
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. snap — to click
  10. drill — a practice
  11. suit — clothes
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cue — a signal
  16. squash — the sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — the tool
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ground — a position
  24. scale — in music

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