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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 124 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. root — the cause
  4. hand — in cards
  5. court — for sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. court — of law
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — of a king
  14. cue — for pool
  15. hand — help
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. root — of a word
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cue — a hint

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