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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 116 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bark — to shout
  4. drill — a practice
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. court — of a king
  10. mate — a partner
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. net — for catching
  17. mate — to breed
  18. last — finally
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. drill — army training
  21. net — after costs
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mate — a friend

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