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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. court — for sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. court — of a king
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bark — to shout
  15. court — of law
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. drill — army training
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. drill — a practice
  24. tube — the underground

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