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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — of a king
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mug — a face
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bat — the animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. track — a path
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — of law
  20. tube — a container
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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