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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: pound · snap · pass · sharp · root · pit · rule · cue

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. root — of a plant
  3. snap — to click
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pit — in a race
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. root — the cause
  14. rule — government
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. cue — for pool
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. root — of a word

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