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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. row — to paddle
  7. toast — bread
  8. court — of law
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. lean — to bend
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. court — for sport
  15. row — a line
  16. lean — thin
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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