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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. march — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. shower — rain
  6. mug — a face
  7. ground — a position
  8. cue — a signal
  9. march — the month
  10. mug — to rob
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mug — a cup
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — the earth
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. board — a committee
  21. kick — in football
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  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