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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 124 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cue — a hint
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. net — for catching
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bark — to shout
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. net — in sport
  13. snap — to click
  14. content — the amount
  15. vault — a safe
  16. net — after costs
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. content — happy
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cue — for pool

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