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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. row — a line
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. suit — to fit
  10. chest — a box
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — army training
  21. bark — to shout
  22. suit — clothes
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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