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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bark — to shout
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. court — for sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. shower — rain
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. scale — in music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. shower — to wash
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. court — of a king
  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