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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cue — for pool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bark — to shout
  5. craft — boats
  6. kid — child
  7. cap — a hat
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cell — in biology
  10. content — happy
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pound — a weight
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cue — a hint
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cap — a lid
  21. content — the amount
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. cue — a signal

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