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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 · rush · snap · mug · mouse · cell · straw · spell

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cue — for pool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. snap — to click
  6. cue — a signal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rush — hurry
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cue — a hint

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