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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. scale — in music
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. tube — a container
  7. club — for golf
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. degree — temperature
  11. club — a group
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cue — for pool
  14. charge — a price
  15. bark — to shout
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. club — for dancing
  20. charge — in control
  21. degree — from a university
  22. tube — the underground
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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