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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. foot — a measure
  3. court — of a king
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. court — of law
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. charge — in control
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. charge — electricity
  12. kid — to tease
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. charge — a price
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. court — for sport

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