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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. drill — a practice
  3. court — for sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. toast — bread
  6. drill — army training
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bark — to shout
  13. court — of law
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bound — tied together
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bound — certain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. court — of a king
  23. shower — rain
  24. mouse — for a computer

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