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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: mouse · bat · pop · bay · hand · safe · bark · court

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pop — soda
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pop — music
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. court — of law
  22. bat — the animal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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