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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. capital — money
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. capital — a city
  12. prune — to trim
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hand — help
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wake — a trail
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chair — a leader
  22. hand — in cards
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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