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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. suit — to fit
  3. last — final
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. court — for sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. court — of a king
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bark — to shout
  14. court — of law
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. last — finally
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fork — in a road
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. last — to go on
  24. suit — in cards

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