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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. net — for catching
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. net — after costs
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bark — to shout
  9. court — of law
  10. net — in sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wind — moving air
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. court — of a king
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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