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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cue — for pool
  6. swing — music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bark — to shout
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. current — happening now
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cap — a hat
  19. current — of water
  20. tear — from crying
  21. current — electric
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wake — before a funeral

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