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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. court — for sport
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cap — a hat
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. court — of law
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. court — of a king
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cap — of ice

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