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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: cold · nail · cue · wake · snap · cabinet · pop · stick

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. snap — to click
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pop — 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