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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: degree · suit · roll · bark · court · swing · lean · staff

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. swing — music
  4. suit — to fit
  5. degree — temperature
  6. swing — in golf
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. swing — to play on
  12. suit — in cards
  13. roll — a list
  14. staff — a stick
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. lean — to bend
  18. court — for sport
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bark — to shout
  24. degree — from a university

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