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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. can — a tin
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. prune — to trim
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cue — a hint
  8. chest — a box
  9. march — music
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cue — for pool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cap — a lid
  15. march — the month
  16. can — a tin
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. can — to be able to
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — of the sea

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