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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. court — of a king
  3. clip — a video
  4. root — of a word
  5. face — to confront
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. face — to point toward
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mate — to breed
  10. court — for sport
  11. mate — a partner
  12. root — the cause
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bark — to shout
  17. court — of law
  18. foot — a measure
  19. clip — for paper
  20. vault — a safe
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mate — a friend
  24. clip — to cut

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