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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wake — a trail
  3. tube — the underground
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. object — to protest
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. tube — a container
  9. cue — for pool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. object — an aim
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. object — a thing
  14. spring — the season
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. swing — music
  20. spring — of water
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cap — a hat

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