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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. last — to go on
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. fall — the season
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. last — finally
  14. fall — to drop
  15. can — a tin
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cue — a hint
  20. track — a song
  21. fall — to drop
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. last — final

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