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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.

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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: bark · hand · pass · fork · snap · perch · suit · court

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. suit — in cards
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. court — for sport
  5. suit — to fit
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bark — to shout
  8. hand — help
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. court — of law
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. snap — to click
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fork — in a road
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. perch — the fish
  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