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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. track — a song
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. spring — of water
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — for sport
  13. rest — a break
  14. perch — the fish
  15. court — of law
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — the season
  19. bark — to shout
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mate — a friend
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rest — what's left

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