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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bank — of a river
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bank — for money
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bank — for money
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ball — a dance
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. clip — a video
  23. bark — to shout
  24. clip — to cut

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