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

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. ball — a dance
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. court — of a king
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pound — a weight

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