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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. court — of a king
  10. cue — a signal
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. court — for sport
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fork — in a road
  17. court — of law
  18. bore — to drill

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