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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cue — for pool
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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