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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
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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: fall · pop · bark · current · hide · court · hand · pitcher

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bark — to shout
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. current — of water
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — soda
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. current — happening now
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. court — of law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — in cards
  17. court — of a king
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pop — music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. current — electric

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