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

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cue — for pool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a match
  6. object — to protest
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. game — wild animals
  13. sharp — clever
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. tear — to rip
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ball — a dance
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. object — an aim
  22. cue — a hint
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. snap — to click

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