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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · file · saw · hand · pit · content · bark · firm

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. hand — help
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bark — to shout
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. court — of law
  12. content — happy
  13. file — a tool
  14. firm — a company
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pit — a hole
  17. court — for sport
  18. file — a line of people
  19. court — of a king
  20. firm — decided
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. firm — steady
  24. file — a document

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