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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. court — of law
  5. net — for catching
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. key — in music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. key — the most important part
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. court — of a king
  19. mine — for digging
  20. net — after costs
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. net — in sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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