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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cue — a signal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cue — a hint
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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