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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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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 · calf · shower · charge · court · stock · key · clip

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. charge — a price
  3. clip — a video
  4. court — for sport
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. clip — for paper
  7. charge — in control
  8. key — for a lock
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stock — goods
  16. bark — to shout
  17. key — the most important part
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — of law
  20. clip — to cut
  21. court — of a king
  22. key — in music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. calf — a young animal

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