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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cap — a lid
  3. drill — army training
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pass — a permit
  6. mine — for digging
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. season — of the year
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. season — in sport
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mine — an explosive

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