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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cue — for pool
  3. content — happy
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mark — a trace
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cue — a signal
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. row — to paddle
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. scale — in music
  18. tube — the underground
  19. scale — size or range
  20. row — a line
  21. cue — a hint
  22. content — the amount
  23. mark — a grade
  24. prune — to trim

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