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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. ground — crushed
  3. game — a match
  4. rule — a law
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rule — government
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cue — a hint
  12. board — to get on
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cue — for pool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ground — a position
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cue — a signal
  24. ground — the earth

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