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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rush — a thrill

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