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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 124 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. band — a music group
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. band — a ring
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cue — a signal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bound — certain
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cue — for pool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — a hole
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. court — of a king
  24. trunk — of a car

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