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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. court — of law
  3. march — the month
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. court — of a king
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. current — of water
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. march — music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cue — for pool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cue — a hint
  18. march — the month
  19. current — electric
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rush — hurry
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bark — to shout
  24. court — for sport

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