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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — a signal
  5. object — a thing
  6. fall — the season
  7. cue — for pool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. object — to protest
  13. row — to paddle
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. object — an aim
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. row — a line
  24. prune — to trim

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