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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bark — to shout
  3. current — happening now
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. court — of a king
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. club — a group
  11. court — for sport
  12. staff — employees
  13. club — for dancing
  14. current — of water
  15. drill — a practice
  16. club — for golf
  17. game — a match
  18. staff — employees
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. current — electric
  22. drill — the tool
  23. court — of law
  24. drill — army training

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