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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. kick — in football
  7. court — for sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. court — of a king
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. clip — for paper
  21. court — of law
  22. clip — a video
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. clip — to cut

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