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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. court — of a king
  3. object — a thing
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. firm — decided
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — a practice
  10. court — of law
  11. chest — a box
  12. firm — a company
  13. drill — army training
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pound — a weight
  16. object — an aim
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. firm — steady
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. object — to protest
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. court — for sport

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