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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cue — a hint
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bark — to shout
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — in biology
  13. can — a tin
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. charge — a price
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cue — for pool
  20. squash — the sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. squash — to crush
  24. charge — in control

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