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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cue — a signal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fall — the season
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. fall — to drop
  11. key — the most important part
  12. can — to be able to
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — of water
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. key — in music
  18. can — a tin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. current — electric
  21. dip — to sink
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — happening now
  24. bay — a part 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