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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rash — a series
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bound — obliged
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bound — tied together
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rash — hasty
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cue — for pool
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bound — certain
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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