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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. object — a thing
  3. court — for sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bark — to shout
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. court — of law
  11. chest — a box
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chip — to eat
  16. root — the cause
  17. court — of a king
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. root — of a word
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. season — of the year
  22. chest — of your body
  23. season — in sport
  24. racket — a loud noise

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