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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. lie — to recline
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. scale — in music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cue — for pool
  24. tube — a container

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