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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. prune — to trim
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bark — to shout
  9. press — to push
  10. lean — thin
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cue — for pool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. game — a match
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pass — a permit

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