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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: bat · craft · last · perch · stick · cue · snap · fan

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. last — finally
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. last — final
  9. cue — for pool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. last — to go on
  14. cue — a signal
  15. craft — boats
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bat — the animal
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — in an idiom

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