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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. root — the cause
  3. court — for sport
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. club — a group
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bat — the animal
  11. dip — to sink
  12. root — of a word
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. root — of a plant
  21. club — for golf
  22. court — of a king
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. court — of law

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