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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pit — a hole
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. court — of law
  5. pit — in a race
  6. root — of a word
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — to shout
  9. current — of water
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. current — happening now
  19. root — the cause
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mine — for digging
  22. current — electric
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mine — an explosive

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