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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rash — a series
  9. court — for sport
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pit — a hole
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rash — hasty
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pitch — completely
  23. tube — a container
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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