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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. land — ground
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. fine — all right
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cue — a signal
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cue — a hint
  16. fine — high quality
  17. land — to come down
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pit — a hole
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hand — in cards
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. hand — help
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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