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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. court — of a king
  9. net — in sport
  10. craft — a skill
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — a friend
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. fan — a supporter

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