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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cue — a hint
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ball — a dance
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cue — a signal
  8. race — humankind
  9. last — final
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cue — for pool
  13. last — to go on
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. race — a contest
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. last — finally
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mine — for digging

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