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

Word bank: bark · court · ruler · swing · pitch · chest

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. court — of law
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. swing — music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bark — to shout
  11. court — for sport
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. chest — a box
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. court — of a king

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