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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rash — a series
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. key — for a lock
  6. court — of a king
  7. rash — hasty
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bark — to shout
  12. key — the most important part
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rest — a break
  17. court — for sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. key — in music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. drill — a practice

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