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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cue — a signal
  6. craft — boats
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ground — a position
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. craft — a skill
  24. ground — the earth

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