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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. mug — a cup
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pop — soda
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mug — a face
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cue — a hint
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cue — a signal
  23. swing — music
  24. mug — to rob

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