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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. court — of law
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — of a king
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pitch — completely
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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