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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: bark · staff · net · ball · firm · court · pitch · racket

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. staff — a stick
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. firm — a company
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. court — of a king
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — for catching
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. firm — decided
  11. staff — employees
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pitch — completely
  14. firm — steady
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. net — after costs
  20. bark — to shout
  21. court — of law
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. court — for sport
  24. racket — a loud noise

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