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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. court — for sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. can — a tin
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cue — a signal
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. squash — the sport
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. court — of a king
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cue — for pool
  20. band — a ring
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bore — to drill
  23. court — of law
  24. can — a tin

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