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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. net — after costs
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cue — for pool
  5. mug — to rob
  6. object — a thing
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pop — soda
  10. cue — a signal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mug — a cup
  14. object — an aim
  15. pop — music
  16. net — in sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. object — to protest
  20. saw — the tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mug — a face
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. net — for catching

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