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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. kid — to tease
  8. face — part of the head
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. land — a country
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cue — a hint
  13. staff — a stick
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cue — a signal
  16. kid — child
  17. face — to confront
  18. staff — employees
  19. cue — for pool
  20. chip — to eat
  21. face — to point toward
  22. chip — for betting
  23. staff — employees
  24. chip — in a computer

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