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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. scale — in music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. prune — to trim
  5. craft — boats
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pit — in a race
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pit — a hole
  20. craft — a skill
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fan — a supporter

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