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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. net — in sport
  8. cue — for pool
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. current — electric
  12. cue — a hint
  13. shower — to wash
  14. current — happening now
  15. net — for catching
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pop — to visit
  18. current — of water
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. shower — rain
  23. net — after costs
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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