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

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — completely
  11. court — of a king
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. court — for sport
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree

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