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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · mine · key · toast · foot · court · current · bowl

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — in music
  5. court — for sport
  6. toast — bread
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. current — happening now
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bark — to shout
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. court — of a king
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. court — of law
  24. bowl — a football final

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