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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. court — for sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spell — magic
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. net — in sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. net — for catching
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. deal — to handle
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — a gift
  24. bark — to shout

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