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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · season · firm · bark · roll · cap · clip · sharp

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cap — of ice
  3. season — of the year
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — a hint
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. clip — to cut
  8. season — in sport
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bark — to shout
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. clip — for paper
  15. firm — decided
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. roll — a cake
  19. firm — a company
  20. cap — a lid
  21. firm — steady
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cap — a hat

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