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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bore — to tire
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bore — to drill
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rush — hurry
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cue — for pool

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