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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. branch — a division
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. clip — a video
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. clip — for paper
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pound — a weight

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