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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cue — a hint
  3. spring — of water
  4. club — for dancing
  5. plane — a tool
  6. spring — a coil
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. club — a group
  9. mate — to breed
  10. capital — money
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mate — a partner
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — a city
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. spring — the season
  18. cue — for pool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cue — a signal
  24. club — for golf

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