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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fine — all right
  18. rash — hasty
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — a series
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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