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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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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pop — music
  5. current — of water
  6. cue — for pool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. current — happening now
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cue — a hint
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. saw — the tool
  15. shower — to wash
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pop — soda
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. current — electric
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. shower — rain
  24. bark — to shout

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