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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a music group
  9. ball — a dance
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. march — the month
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. march — music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. ball — a great time
  22. band — a ring
  23. march — the month
  24. cue — a hint

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