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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. court — of law
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. band — a ring
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. hand — help
  17. band — a music group
  18. bark — to shout
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. court — of a king
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. court — for sport
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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