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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. current — electric
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. current — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. charge — a price
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. capital — a city
  12. lie — to recline
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. charge — in control
  16. cue — a hint
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. charge — electricity
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cue — for pool
  24. current — happening now

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