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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bound — certain
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. field — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. field — farmland
  10. cue — a signal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bound — obliged
  13. court — of a king
  14. fork — in a road
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. court — for sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bark — to shout
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cue — for pool
  22. field — a subject
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bark — of a tree

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