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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. staff — employees
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cue — a hint
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. staff — a stick
  15. ground — a position
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — to confront
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — part of the head
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — to point toward
  23. spell — letters
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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