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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. hand — help
  3. key — in music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. key — for a lock
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bark — to shout
  10. key — the most important part
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. row — to paddle
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cue — a signal
  19. staff — employees
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. staff — employees

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