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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: staff · hide · kick · file · court · fine · bark · pit

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. file — a document
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. court — for sport
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. court — of a king
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. staff — employees
  10. pit — in a race
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. file — a tool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bark — to shout
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pit — a hole
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. court — of law
  20. file — a line of people
  21. staff — employees
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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