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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. can — to be able to
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mug — a cup
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. court — of a king
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. court — for sport
  17. hand — help
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. can — a tin
  22. court — of law
  23. can — a tin
  24. plane — a tool

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