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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — to trim
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. squash — to crush
  8. swing — music
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mate — a partner
  12. prune — to trim
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fall — the season
  15. charge — a price
  16. cue — a signal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. charge — in control
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. squash — the sport

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