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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. game — a match
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. squash — to crush
  9. degree — temperature
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. board — a committee
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. degree — from a university
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cue — for pool
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fan — to cool the air

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