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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. court — of a king
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mate — a friend
  17. court — for sport
  18. game — a match
  19. pound — a weight
  20. foot — a measure
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mate — a partner
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. court — of law

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