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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
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: court · charge · dip · bay · straw · bound · clip · bark

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. court — of law
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bound — certain
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. charge — a price
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. clip — for paper
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bound — obliged
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. charge — in control
  24. bark — to shout

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