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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. court — of a king
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. bark — to shout
  7. march — music
  8. court — of law
  9. net — for catching
  10. present — there
  11. hand — help
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. court — for sport
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. present — the time now
  20. pass — a permit
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. present — a gift

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