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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cue — a signal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. land — ground
  6. cue — a hint
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spring — the season
  12. cue — for pool
  13. spring — of water
  14. date — the fruit
  15. land — to come down
  16. chair — a leader
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. land — a country
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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