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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.

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: bark · cabinet · stand · fork · net · present · rash · court

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rash — a series
  3. net — after costs
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. present — there
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. net — in sport
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. present — the time now
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stand — to bear
  16. court — of law
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. present — a gift

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