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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. court — of a king
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. court — for sport
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. club — for golf
  14. tube — a container
  15. kick — in football
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rock — music
  18. bark — to shout
  19. court — of law
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tube — the underground
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. club — a group

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