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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. spring — the season
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. foot — a measure
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. game — a match
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. game — wild animals
  18. spring — of water
  19. ball — a great time
  20. club — for golf
  21. spring — a coil
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. ball — a dance
  24. club — a group

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