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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: court · press · bound · craft · date · pitcher · safe · bark

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bound — obliged
  6. craft — a skill
  7. press — newspapers
  8. court — for sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — to shout
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bound — tied together
  21. press — a publisher
  22. court — of law
  23. bound — certain
  24. press — to push

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