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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. scale — size or range
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hand — help
  9. spell — letters
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bank — for money
  13. spell — magic
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cue — a hint
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. scale — in music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pass — to succeed

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