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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cue — a signal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cue — for pool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitch — completely
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. object — an aim
  13. date — the fruit
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. object — a thing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. prune — to trim
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cue — a hint
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — moving air

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