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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. key — the most important part
  5. root — the cause
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. court — for sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. root — of a plant
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. key — in music
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. court — of a king
  18. root — of a word
  19. bark — to shout
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. racket — for tennis
  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