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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 124 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. scale — in music
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — of water
  8. scale — size or range
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. lean — thin
  11. spring — the season
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rock — a stone
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. spring — a coil
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bark — to shout
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chip — for betting
  24. lean — to rest against

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