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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. firm — steady
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. court — for sport
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. game — a match
  13. firm — decided
  14. wake — a trail
  15. court — of law
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. firm — a company
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. game — wild animals
  21. kick — in football
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of a king

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