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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. row — a line
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. scale — in music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cue — a hint
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cue — for pool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. root — of a word
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. root — of a plant
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. root — the cause
  24. rush — hurry

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