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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. cue — a signal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. foot — a measure
  8. scale — size or range
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cue — for pool
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. scale — in music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. squash — to crush
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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