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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — finally
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. last — to go on
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mine — for digging
  11. last — final
  12. cue — a signal
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. staff — employees
  19. cue — a hint
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chip — to eat

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