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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cue — a hint
  3. last — final
  4. bat — the animal
  5. last — to go on
  6. tear — to rip
  7. object — a thing
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. last — finally
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. tear — from crying
  14. charge — a price
  15. bark — to shout
  16. object — to protest
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. charge — in control
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cue — for pool

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