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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. firm — steady
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cue — for pool
  10. tear — to rip
  11. firm — decided
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. field — for sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. prune — to trim
  16. firm — a company
  17. cue — a hint
  18. field — a subject
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. kick — in football
  21. mate — a friend
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — farmland
  24. mate — a partner

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