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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. snap — to click
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — in sport
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kid — child
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. kid — to tease
  16. net — after costs
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rock — a stone
  19. net — for catching
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cue — for pool
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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