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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 124 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cue — a signal
  3. net — in sport
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. net — after costs
  7. face — part of the head
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. field — for sport
  10. cue — a hint
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. net — for catching
  14. field — a subject
  15. cue — for pool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. field — farmland
  18. face — to confront
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. face — to point toward
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. deal — a big deal

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