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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. court — of a king
  3. game — wild animals
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. court — for sport
  7. roll — a list
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. game — a match
  11. march — the month
  12. pass — a permit
  13. roll — a cake
  14. court — of law
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. march — the month
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. march — music
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pass — to succeed

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