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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cue — a signal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. file — a tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bark — to shout
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. snap — to click
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fine — all right
  19. file — a document
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fine — high quality

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