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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. object — to protest
  3. bark — to shout
  4. court — of law
  5. race — humankind
  6. swing — music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. drill — the tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. object — a thing
  11. drill — a practice
  12. court — for sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. object — an aim
  15. swing — to play on
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. court — of a king
  21. race — the arms race
  22. swing — in golf
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. race — a contest

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