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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. court — of a king
  8. current — electric
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. court — of law
  13. current — happening now
  14. bat — the animal
  15. current — of water
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bear — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. staff — employees
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bear — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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