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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. last — final
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pop — soda
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pop — to visit
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pop — music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pit — a hole

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