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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rule — a law
  8. tear — from crying
  9. court — of law
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. court — for sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pit — a hole
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pit — in a race
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rule — government
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bark — to shout
  23. can — a tin
  24. leaves — lets stay

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