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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bark — to shout
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. track — a song
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. court — of a king
  17. staff — employees
  18. bound — tied together
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mate — a partner
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bound — obliged

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