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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: cue · suit · hand · net · bound · mate · prune · pitcher

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cue — a signal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mate — a friend
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mate — a partner
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cue — for pool
  12. net — for catching
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mate — to breed
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bound — obliged
  17. net — in sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bound — certain
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cue — a hint
  24. net — after costs

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