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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. roll — a list
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. roll — a cake
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cold — an illness

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