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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: hide · bark · mate · court · fall · roll · pound · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fall — the season
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. court — for sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. roll — a list
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. roll — a cake
  17. court — of law
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. court — of a king
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. hide — to keep secret

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