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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. net — in sport
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. chest — of your body
  6. court — for sport
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. court — of law
  12. net — after costs
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wound — an injury
  21. net — for catching
  22. court — of a king
  23. chest — of your body
  24. plane — an aircraft

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