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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. track — a path
  3. band — a music group
  4. bark — to shout
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. court — of a king
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. court — for sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. capital — money
  19. band — a ring
  20. net — in sport
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. track — a song
  23. ball — a dance
  24. capital — a city

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