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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. march — the month
  4. ball — a great time
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cue — a signal
  7. stock — goods
  8. plane — a tool
  9. march — music
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. tear — from crying
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cue — a hint
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bark — to shout
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. march — the month
  24. cue — for pool

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