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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — to push
  6. prune — to trim
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cue — for pool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. press — a publisher
  19. net — for catching
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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