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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. court — for sport
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. court — of law
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — the tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rest — a break
  16. cue — a signal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. band — a music group
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cue — for pool
  22. court — of a king
  23. band — a ring
  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