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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rock — music
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. charge — a price
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. object — to protest
  7. charge — in control
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. object — a thing
  12. court — for sport
  13. bark — to shout
  14. charge — electricity
  15. court — of a king
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. clip — for paper
  21. object — an aim
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bear — the animal
  24. clip — a video

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