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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. clip — a video
  5. lean — to bend
  6. capital — a city
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mug — a face
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lean — thin
  13. mug — to rob
  14. capital — money
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. clip — for paper
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — an injury

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