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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ground — the earth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ground — a position
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. court — for sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. capital — money
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. court — of a king
  21. capital — a city
  22. bark — to shout
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rush — hurry

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