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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pit — in a race
  3. court — of a king
  4. pit — a hole
  5. shower — rain
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mug — a cup
  8. craft — boats
  9. mug — to rob
  10. craft — a skill
  11. court — for sport
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mug — a face
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. file — a document
  17. court — of law
  18. file — a tool
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. shower — to wash
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. file — a line of people

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