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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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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: mark · court · rash · mug · bark · ruler · face · net

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. net — in sport
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rash — a series
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mug — a cup
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bark — to shout
  18. net — after costs
  19. face — to confront
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. court — of law
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. net — for catching
  24. rash — hasty

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