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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pit — in a race
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. root — the cause
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cue — a hint
  10. band — a music group
  11. root — of a word
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bark — to shout
  17. current — of water
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. root — of a plant
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. band — a ring

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