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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. tear — to rip
  4. land — to come down
  5. tube — a container
  6. cue — for pool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. tube — the underground
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. land — ground
  14. tear — from crying
  15. face — to point toward
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cue — a hint
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. land — a country
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tear — from crying
  24. face — to confront

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