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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cue — a signal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cue — for pool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. squash — the sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rash — a series
  15. prune — to trim
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — to come down
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. hand — help
  21. land — ground
  22. cue — a hint
  23. hand — in cards
  24. leaves — of a tree

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