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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cue — a signal
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. field — farmland
  7. deal — to handle
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. field — a subject
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — goods
  15. cue — for pool
  16. field — for sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. squash — the sport
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. stock — shares
  24. wave — of the sea

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