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

Word bank: bark · cue · charge · squash · mug · rest · club · stick

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. charge — a price
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rest — a break
  7. club — a group
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rest — what's left
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cue — a signal
  17. club — for golf
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bark — to shout

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