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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cue — a signal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. key — in music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. land — ground
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spell — magic
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. key — for a lock
  15. prune — to trim
  16. land — to come down
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cue — a hint
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pit — a hole
  23. land — a country
  24. spell — letters

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