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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. snap — to click
  7. fine — all right
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rock — a stone
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cue — a hint
  13. swing — in golf
  14. roll — a list
  15. rock — music
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cue — for pool
  18. swing — music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. fine — high quality
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cue — a signal
  24. kid — child

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