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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — a permit
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. land — ground
  12. chair — a leader
  13. prune — to trim
  14. march — music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cue — for pool
  17. march — the month
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. staff — employees
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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