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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. spell — letters
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cue — a signal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. charge — in control
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. charge — a price
  14. cue — for pool
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. charge — electricity
  20. spell — magic
  21. cue — a hint
  22. kick — in football
  23. spell — a short time
  24. kick — with a leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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