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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bat — the animal
  4. court — for sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — to shout
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ball — a great time
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ball — a dance
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. court — of a king
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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