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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tear — to rip
  8. squash — the sport
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tear — from crying
  11. game — a match
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cue — a hint
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. hand — help
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cue — a signal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. hand — part of the body

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