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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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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: snap · season · stem · court · cue · firm · shower · drill

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. shower — rain
  3. drill — army training
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. season — of the year
  7. court — for sport
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — in sport
  10. drill — a practice
  11. firm — a company
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. firm — decided
  14. drill — the tool
  15. court — of a king
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. court — of law
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. firm — steady
  24. cue — a hint

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