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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 · pound · court · face · ball · nail · hide · rush

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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. nail — for a hammer
  4. ball — a great time
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — to confront
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pound — a weight
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bark — to shout
  15. court — for sport
  16. rush — hurry
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. court — of a king

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