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

Word bank: bark · shower · stick · fork · track · court · safe · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. court — of a king
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bark — to shout
  13. present — the time now
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. present — a gift
  16. court — for sport
  17. track — a path
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. court — of law
  20. shower — rain
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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