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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. court — of a king
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. hand — help
  8. court — of law
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stand — to bear
  16. hand — in cards
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ground — the earth
  19. court — for sport
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. drill — the tool
  24. ground — a position

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