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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — in sport
  3. cue — a hint
  4. net — for catching
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cue — a signal
  7. court — for sport
  8. cue — for pool
  9. court — of a king
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bass — low music
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bass — the fish
  16. press — to push
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. court — of law
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. net — after costs
  24. press — a publisher

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