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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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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: mine · court · suit · fall · bark · roll · date · pitch

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pitch — completely
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — a list
  8. court — of law
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fall — the season
  13. bark — to shout
  14. suit — to fit
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. suit — clothes
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. court — of a king
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. court — for sport
  24. mine — an explosive

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