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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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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: march · saw · dip · snap · content · cue · board · wave

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — the month
  5. saw — the tool
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. board — a committee
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. board — to get on
  13. cue — a signal
  14. march — the month
  15. content — happy
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to click
  21. content — the amount
  22. dip — to sink
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. march — music

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