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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. file — a tool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. board — a committee
  6. mate — a partner
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cue — for pool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pound — a weight
  18. file — a document
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. prune — to trim
  24. trunk — of a car

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