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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.

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: fork · fine · bark · deal · board · court · rash · game

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fork — in a road
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. court — of law
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. court — for sport
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rash — a series
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. rash — hasty
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. court — of a king

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