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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: wound · wake · sharp · cue · race · stick · snap · mug

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. snap — to click
  6. mug — to rob
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. race — humankind
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mug — a cup
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wound — an injury

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