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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: mark · cue · kid · snap · toast · cell · perch · rest

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cue — a hint
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rest — a break
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cue — for pool
  13. snap — to click
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — a grade
  16. toast — bread
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cue — a signal
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rest — what's left

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