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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · cabinet · bark · game · pitcher · suit · last · court

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — to go on
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. suit — to fit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. last — finally
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pop — soda
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — to shout
  17. game — a match
  18. suit — clothes
  19. court — for sport
  20. last — final
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pop — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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