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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rash — hasty
  7. present — a gift
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rash — a series
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rock — music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. prune — to trim
  18. key — in music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cue — for pool
  22. present — the time now
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. present — there

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