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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. kick — in football
  17. rock — a stone
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rock — music
  20. toast — bread
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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