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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mate — to breed
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cue — a hint
  9. season — in sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bound — certain
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — a partner
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mate — a friend
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bark — of a tree

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