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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cue — a hint
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. key — in music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bark — to shout
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cue — a signal
  14. root — of a word
  15. rock — music
  16. cue — for pool
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rock — a stone
  23. root — the cause
  24. key — the most important part

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