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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pop — music
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pop — soda
  12. bark — to shout
  13. ball — a dance
  14. court — for sport
  15. pop — to visit
  16. court — of a king
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. court — of law

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