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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. snap — to click
  3. pop — music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rule — a law
  9. capital — money
  10. rash — hasty
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rule — government
  17. pop — soda
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rash — a series
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. capital — a city
  24. plane — a tool

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