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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. net — for catching
  3. cue — a signal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mark — a grade
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — in sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. net — after costs
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cue — a hint
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hand — help
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. mine — for digging

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