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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cue — a hint
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pitch — completely
  10. board — a committee
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fine — all right
  17. mine — for digging
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. board — to get on
  24. degree — temperature

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