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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — high quality
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bark — to shout
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. ground — a position
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — the time now

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