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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ball — a dance
  9. object — an aim
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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