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

Word bank: wound · present · pit · snap · arm · cue · fall · band

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. cue — a hint
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cue — for pool
  6. present — a gift
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cue — a signal
  9. present — there
  10. band — a ring
  11. present — the time now
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a music group
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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