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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cue — a hint
  5. swing — in golf
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — to play on
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cue — for pool
  15. row — to paddle
  16. swing — music
  17. row — a line
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. sharp — clever

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