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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. season — in sport
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. dip — to sink
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ground — a position
  22. season — of the year
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. cue — a hint

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