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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bark — to shout
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bank — for money
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chair — a leader
  7. spring — of water
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mate — to breed
  11. net — after costs
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bank — for money
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mate — a friend
  19. spring — the season
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mate — a partner

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