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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wake — a trail
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spring — of water
  19. ball — a great time
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. date — the fruit

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