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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. board — a committee
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. suit — in cards
  5. date — the fruit
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cue — for pool
  8. board — to get on
  9. suit — to fit
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. suit — clothes
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cue — a signal

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