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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cue — a hint
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. chest — of your body
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cue — a signal
  10. board — a committee
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chest — a box
  14. race — a contest
  15. can — a tin
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cue — for pool
  18. board — to get on
  19. race — humankind
  20. can — a tin
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

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