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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. net — for catching
  3. cue — a signal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. sharp — clever
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mate — a partner
  10. season — in sport
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cue — a hint
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. net — after costs
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. season — of the year
  20. clip — a video
  21. net — in sport
  22. mate — to breed
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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