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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: fan · swing · bark · fine · vault · court · land · net

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. vault — a safe
  5. net — for catching
  6. swing — to play on
  7. land — ground
  8. court — for sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. court — of a king
  12. land — a country
  13. net — after costs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. swing — music
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. land — to come down
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fine — high quality
  21. swing — in golf
  22. court — of law
  23. net — in sport
  24. fine — all right

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