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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. charge — electricity
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mark — a trace
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mate — a friend
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. charge — in control
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. field — a subject
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cue — for pool
  17. charge — a price
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — a grade
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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