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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 · last · rest · mug · fine · court · club · safe

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mug — a face
  3. court — of a king
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. club — for dancing
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rest — a break
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. last — to go on
  15. court — of law
  16. club — for golf
  17. last — final
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. last — finally
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. court — for sport
  22. mug — to rob
  23. club — a group
  24. fine — all right

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