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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. file — a tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a document
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cue — for pool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bear — the animal

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