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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
468
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: bark · root · mine · ball · court · coach · can · sharp

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — a tin
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. root — the cause
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. root — of a word
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mine — for digging
  14. root — of a plant
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. court — of a king
  18. can — to be able to
  19. ball — a dance
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mine — an explosive

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