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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pit — in a race
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. court — for sport
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spell — a short time
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — to shout
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pit — a hole
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. court — of a king
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. court — of law

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