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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: cue · shower · firm · pound · arm · snap · land · pop

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. firm — decided
  4. land — to come down
  5. pop — to visit
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pound — a weight
  8. land — ground
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pop — soda
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. firm — a company
  13. snap — to click
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. firm — steady
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pop — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. land — a country
  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