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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fall — the season
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fall — to drop
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fork — in a road
  17. game — a match
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pop — soda
  20. can — a tin
  21. cue — for pool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pop — music

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