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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The kitten curled into 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. ball — a dance
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cue — a hint
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rash — hasty
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. snap — to click
  19. rest — a break
  20. rash — a series
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ball — a round shape
  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