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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. object — to protest
  5. cue — for pool
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. object — a thing
  11. bound — certain
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cue — a hint
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — tied together
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. object — an aim
  22. drill — army training
  23. cue — a signal
  24. drill — a practice

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