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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. track — a song
  3. charge — electricity
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. kid — child
  9. cue — a signal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. charge — a price
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. track — a path
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. charge — in control
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bark — to shout
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cue — for pool
  24. leaves — lets stay

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