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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cap — of ice
  3. last — final
  4. ground — crushed
  5. last — finally
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. ground — a position
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cue — a hint
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — to go on
  24. ground — the earth

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