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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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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: rock · face · court · track · pitch · fork · bark · bay

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rock — music
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. court — of a king
  10. fork — in a road
  11. track — a song
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. track — a path
  15. court — for sport
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rock — a stone
  19. face — to point toward
  20. court — of law
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bay — a horse colour

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