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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. fine — high quality
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. snap — to click
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fine — all right
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. file — a line of people
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. file — a document
  18. cue — a hint
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. row — a line
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. file — a tool
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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