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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. suit — clothes
  10. court — of a king
  11. bark — to shout
  12. kick — in football
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cue — a hint
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. court — for sport
  18. suit — in cards
  19. hand — in cards
  20. content — the amount
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. court — of law
  23. cue — for pool
  24. content — happy

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