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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. file — a document
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. file — a tool
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cue — for pool
  16. march — the month
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bark — to shout
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. lie — to recline
  24. file — a line of people

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