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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. scale — in music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. last — finally
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. last — final
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. capital — money
  16. scale — size or range
  17. last — to go on
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. mine — for digging
  23. capital — a city
  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