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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — help
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — in cards
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cue — a signal
  24. straw — dry grass

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