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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. row — a line
  6. bark — to shout
  7. foot — a measure
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. pop — soda
  11. cell — in biology
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. cue — for pool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cue — a signal
  21. drill — army training
  22. pop — music
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cell — in a prison

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