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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mug — a face
  7. cue — for pool
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mug — a cup
  14. face — to confront
  15. rock — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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