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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: mouse · bark · file · safe · kid · leaves · court · fork

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. file — a tool
  4. court — for sport
  5. kid — child
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. court — of a king
  14. file — a document
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kid — to tease
  17. file — a line of people
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. safe — out of danger

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