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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. cue — a signal
  10. season — in sport
  11. file — a tool
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cue — a hint
  18. season — of the year

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