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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. firm — steady
  3. board — to get on
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. land — to come down
  8. bore — to tire
  9. board — a committee
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. court — of a king
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. court — of law
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fork — in a road
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bore — to drill

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