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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. court — of law
  3. toast — bread
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. firm — steady
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. firm — a company
  8. court — of a king
  9. rash — a series
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. court — for sport
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bark — to shout
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — letters
  23. firm — decided
  24. spell — magic

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