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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — to fit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cue — a hint
  8. track — a path
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. track — a song
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. suit — clothes
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cue — a signal
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cue — for pool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. track — to keep track
  24. fork — in a road

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