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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. race — humankind
  8. cue — for pool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — a line
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — to trim
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — the arms race
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. cue — a hint
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. season — in sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — for catching

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