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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stem — to come from
  18. snap — to click
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bark — to shout
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cue — a hint
  24. court — of a king

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