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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mate — a friend
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cue — a signal
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. key — in music
  24. rush — a thrill

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