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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pound — a weight
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cue — for pool
  12. key — the most important part
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stock — goods
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. stock — shares
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. shower — rain
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. key — in music

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