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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cue — a hint
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wake — a trail
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. content — the amount
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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