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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pop — soda
  3. cue — a signal
  4. content — the amount
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. ground — crushed
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bat — the animal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. craft — boats
  13. pop — music
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cue — a hint
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ground — a position
  21. content — happy
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bark — to shout
  24. craft — a handicraft

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