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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cue — a hint
  6. net — for catching
  7. cell — a phone
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. net — in sport
  10. bound — certain
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cue — a signal
  22. net — after costs
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bound — obliged

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