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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cue — a signal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mate — a friend
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. track — a path
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. track — a song
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — a tin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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