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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: ruler · file · bear · snap · cue · fall · bulb · bass

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bass — low music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bulb — for light
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. snap — to click
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. file — a document
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fall — the season
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. file — a tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — a line of people

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