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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chair — a leader
  3. roll — a list
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cue — a hint
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. roll — on a roll

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