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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. firm — steady
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. firm — decided
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. court — of law
  8. land — a country
  9. mark — a grade
  10. land — ground
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bat — the animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. land — to come down
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bark — to shout
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. firm — a company
  24. bat — for baseball

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