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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: toast · cue · straw · pound · file · snap · march · mark

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cue — for pool
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. file — a tool
  7. snap — to click
  8. march — music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cue — a hint
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. toast — bread
  20. pound — a weight
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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