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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wind — moving air
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. race — humankind
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lean — thin
  17. race — the arms race
  18. squash — the sport
  19. sharp — clever
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — a contest
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. squash — to crush

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