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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kid — child
  3. foot — a measure
  4. court — for sport
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kid — to tease
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fine — high quality
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. foot — part of the body

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