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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rash — a series
  8. file — a tool
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hand — help
  14. file — a document
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cue — a hint
  17. file — a line of people
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. dip — a sauce

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