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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mine — for digging
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. court — of law
  19. kick — in football
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. racket — for tennis

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