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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. field — for sport
  4. hand — help
  5. court — of law
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. field — a subject
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. court — of a king
  11. shower — rain
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. court — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. shower — to wash

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