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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cue — a hint
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. object — to protest
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rash — a series
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cue — a signal
  13. scale — in music
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. object — an aim
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ball — a dance
  20. object — a thing
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. rash — on the skin

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