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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cue — for pool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. tube — a container
  9. cue — a hint
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. kid — to tease
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. board — to get on
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. board — a committee
  22. ball — a great time
  23. kid — child
  24. calf — a young animal

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