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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cue — a hint
  11. chip — to eat
  12. key — in music
  13. chip — for betting
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cue — a signal
  17. scale — in music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rash — a series
  24. scale — size or range

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