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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bark — to shout
  4. object — a thing
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spell — letters
  10. court — for sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. spell — magic
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cold — not warm
  18. court — of a king
  19. object — to protest
  20. court — of law
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. object — an aim

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