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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. current — of water
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bark — to shout
  7. land — a country
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. current — happening now
  12. mug — a face
  13. land — ground
  14. spring — of water
  15. drill — a practice
  16. land — to come down
  17. mug — a cup
  18. current — electric
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. cue — for pool

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