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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cue — a signal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. content — the amount
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. clip — to cut
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. content — happy
  11. cue — for pool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — for paper
  14. prune — to trim
  15. charge — in control
  16. game — a match
  17. branch — a division
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cue — a hint
  21. charge — a price
  22. clip — a video
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. charge — electricity

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