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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 120 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: chair · cue · rush · snap · present · cap · spell · perch

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cue — a hint
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cap — a lid
  6. present — there
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rush — hurry
  9. spell — magic
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spell — letters
  18. present — a gift
  19. snap — to click
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. present — the time now
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cue — for pool

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