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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bore — to tire
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cap — a lid
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cap — a hat
  17. net — after costs
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bore — to drill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. net — for catching
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — in sport
  24. stand — to bear

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