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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 124 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bark — to shout
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — of law
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rest — what's left
  23. court — for sport
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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