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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. staff — employees
  4. prune — to trim
  5. last — final
  6. net — in sport
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. net — for catching
  11. march — the month
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. net — after costs
  14. prune — to trim
  15. staff — employees
  16. last — to go on
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. staff — a stick

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