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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. march — the month
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. march — music
  6. snap — to click
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — in cards
  11. march — the month
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cue — a signal
  16. hand — help
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. file — a tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitch — completely
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cue — a hint
  24. file — a document

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