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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: net · deal · firm · bark · ground · court · saw · roll

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. deal — to handle
  5. firm — decided
  6. net — in sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ground — crushed
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. ground — a position
  11. net — after costs
  12. bark — to shout
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ground — the earth
  17. court — of law
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. court — of a king
  20. roll — a list
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — a company
  24. net — for catching

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