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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. hand — help
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kick — in football
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bark — to shout
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kick — with a leg

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