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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — in cards
  6. game — a match
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cue — for pool
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bass — low music
  19. rest — a break
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. suit — to fit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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