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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bark — to shout
  5. current — happening now
  6. cue — for pool
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. current — electric
  11. bound — obliged
  12. chest — a box
  13. current — of water
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. toast — bread
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bound — certain
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. club — a group

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