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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.

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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: mug · sharp · swing · snap · leaves · file · cue · wind

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. cue — a signal
  3. swing — music
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. snap — to click
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — in golf
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mug — a face
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. file — a tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. swing — to play on
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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