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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: foot · bowl · kick · deal · bound · mouse · fine · bark

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bound — certain
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bound — obliged
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. fine — all right
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kick — in football

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