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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cue — for pool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. suit — clothes
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. current — electric
  10. club — for golf
  11. current — happening now
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. club — a group
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. club — for dancing
  17. chest — a box
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cue — a signal
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chest — of your body
  24. current — of water

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