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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: bay · jam · saw · court · clip · bark · hide · bound

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bark — to shout
  14. court — of law
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. court — for sport
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. court — of a king
  19. bound — tied together
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — a video
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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