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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. sharp — clever
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. ground — a position
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitch — completely
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. tube — a container
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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