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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cue — a signal
  9. sharp — clever
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cue — for pool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rush — hurry
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. kick — in football
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rush — a thrill

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