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

Word bank: date · season · pit · tear · ruler · cue · bark · squash

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bark — to shout
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. tear — from crying
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. tear — to rip
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. squash — the sport
  20. season — in sport
  21. date — the fruit
  22. season — of the year
  23. pit — a hole
  24. season — to add flavour

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