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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bark — to shout
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pop — music
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cue — a hint
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pop — soda
  18. cue — for pool
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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