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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. net — for catching
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. charge — in control
  6. track — a path
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. court — of law
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. rash — hasty
  16. charge — a price
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. charge — electricity
  21. track — a song
  22. court — for sport
  23. row — to paddle
  24. track — to keep track

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