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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · mine · cue · season · stand · sharp · snap · chest

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cue — a signal
  5. sharp — clever
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — a skill
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cue — a hint
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. season — in sport
  15. craft — boats
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — a box
  19. cue — for pool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. chest — of your body
  22. season — of the year
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — for spectators

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