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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bark · present · land · fan · racket · ball · row · chest

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. chest — of your body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. land — ground
  6. bark — to shout
  7. chest — a box
  8. ball — a dance
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chest — of your body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. present — a gift
  13. land — a country
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ball — a great time
  19. land — to come down
  20. row — a line
  21. present — there
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. row — a quarrel

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