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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bound — obliged
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bound — certain
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. last — finally
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cell — a phone
  24. trunk — of a tree

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