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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. object — a thing
  3. cue — a signal
  4. field — a subject
  5. race — a contest
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. race — humankind
  10. object — to protest
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. field — farmland
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. object — an aim
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bear — the animal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. dip — to sink
  23. field — for sport
  24. race — the arms race

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