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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. race — humankind
  3. march — music
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fork — in a road
  6. race — a contest
  7. last — final
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. march — the month
  15. last — to go on
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. last — finally
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ground — a position

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