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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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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. prune — to trim
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. face — to confront
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — for pool
  10. deal — to handle
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. face — part of the head
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. track — a song
  21. face — to point toward
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. deal — an agreement

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