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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. hand — help
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. court — of a king
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. court — for sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. court — of law
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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