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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 · bore · pass · fork · bark · fan · net · ball

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. net — for catching
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. cue — a hint
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. net — in sport
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. net — after costs

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