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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 116 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: court · fork · pitcher · bark · pop · board · hide · staff

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fork — in a road
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bark — to shout
  10. court — of law
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — of a king
  13. pop — music
  14. court — for sport
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pop — soda
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. staff — a stick
  24. fork — to eat with

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