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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. row — a line
  6. key — for a lock
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cue — a signal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. shower — to wash
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cue — a hint
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cue — for pool
  17. key — in music
  18. press — to push
  19. pit — a hole
  20. prune — to trim
  21. shower — rain
  22. pit — in a race
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. key — the most important part

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