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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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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: coach · wave · court · object · sharp · lie · bark · stock

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. object — a thing
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stock — shares
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bark — to shout
  11. object — an aim
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. object — to protest
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stock — goods
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. court — of a king
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. coach — a trainer

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