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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. march — the month
  3. object — to protest
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. drill — the tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. snap — to click
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. drill — a practice
  10. march — the month
  11. net — in sport
  12. object — a thing
  13. cue — a signal
  14. object — an aim
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. drill — army training
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. band — a music group
  19. net — for catching
  20. march — music
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. net — after costs
  23. cue — a hint
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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