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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: drill · net · board · race · fan · court · track · bark

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bark — to shout
  3. race — a contest
  4. court — for sport
  5. race — humankind
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. net — after costs
  8. race — the arms race
  9. drill — a practice
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. track — a path
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. track — a song
  17. drill — the tool
  18. court — of a king
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. court — of law
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. board — to get on
  24. drill — army training

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