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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cue — a signal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bass — low music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bass — the fish
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cue — a hint
  12. game — a match
  13. swing — music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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