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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rest — what's left
  5. court — of a king
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — a break
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. band — a ring
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. land — ground
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. key — the most important part
  18. band — a music group
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. court — for sport
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. foot — part of the body

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