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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. ground — crushed
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. court — for sport
  10. mug — a cup
  11. court — of a king
  12. mug — a face
  13. swing — to play on
  14. tear — from crying
  15. court — of law
  16. ground — the earth
  17. staff — employees
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mug — to rob
  22. swing — in golf
  23. ground — a position
  24. tear — from crying

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