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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cue — a hint
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. board — a committee
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cue — a signal
  7. snap — to click
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. shower — rain
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — to go on
  16. board — to get on
  17. shower — to wash
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. last — final
  22. present — the time now
  23. cue — for pool
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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