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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 120 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 · coach · cue · trunk · court · deal · mark · sharp

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. court — of a king
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cue — a hint
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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