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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bark — to shout
  5. ground — crushed
  6. spell — letters
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cue — a signal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. spell — magic
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — a position
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. press — to push

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