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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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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 · bass · mouse · kick · vault · bark · tear · bay

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. court — of a king
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bark — to shout
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bass — low music
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. kick — in football
  21. bass — the fish
  22. court — of law
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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