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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. suit — in cards
  5. ball — a great time
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cue — for pool
  8. land — a country
  9. suit — clothes
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cue — a hint
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. suit — to fit
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. drill — army training

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