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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bark — to shout
  3. firm — steady
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. spring — the season
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. clip — a video
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spring — of water
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. clip — for paper

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