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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bound — certain
  10. content — the amount
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. face — part of the head
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. content — happy
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. face — to point toward
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — a match
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. face — to confront
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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