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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · court · chip · prune · cue · fan

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. court — for sport
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wake — a trail
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — of a king
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. court — of law

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