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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: mine · bat · key · rash · fan · pop · cue · prune

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cue — for pool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rash — a series
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. key — the most important part
  12. prune — to trim
  13. key — in music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pop — music
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rash — hasty
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pop — soda
  24. fan — a supporter

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