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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: cue · net · fork · sharp · snap · chest · mark · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. snap — to click
  18. net — in sport
  19. sharp — clever
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. fork — in a road
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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