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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cue — a signal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitch — completely
  5. capital — a city
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bound — obliged
  8. last — to go on
  9. capital — money
  10. root — of a word
  11. last — finally
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cue — a hint
  15. root — the cause
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bound — certain
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — final
  24. prune — the fruit

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