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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
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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: court · file · racket · clip · bay · trunk · bark · coach

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. file — a document
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. court — of law
  10. clip — a video
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bark — to shout
  13. court — of a king
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. file — a tool
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. court — for sport
  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