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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. spell — letters
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bark — to shout
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. spring — the season
  11. net — for catching
  12. ball — a great time
  13. field — a subject
  14. spring — of water
  15. net — in sport
  16. spell — a short time
  17. field — farmland
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. field — for sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. spell — magic

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