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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. net — for catching
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. net — in sport
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cue — for pool
  9. face — to confront
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. staff — employees
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. face — part of the head
  17. key — the most important part
  18. face — to point toward
  19. net — after costs
  20. rush — hurry
  21. staff — employees
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. staff — a stick

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