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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. content — the amount
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. content — happy
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pass — a permit
  12. field — for sport
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. kid — child
  24. bay — a horse colour

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