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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. land — to come down
  4. pop — to visit
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. pop — music
  8. land — ground
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. last — final
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pop — soda
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. land — a country
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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