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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 · toast · clip · pound · current · track · squash · bark

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. clip — a video
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. current — of water
  6. track — a path
  7. bark — to shout
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cue — for pool
  14. current — electric
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. track — a song
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cue — a hint
  22. toast — bread
  23. current — happening now
  24. track — to keep track

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