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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: fork · hand · court · pit · bark · can · pitcher · kick

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. hand — help
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pit — in a race
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. court — of law
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. kick — in football
  15. court — of a king
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fork — in a road
  19. can — a tin
  20. court — for sport
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bark — to shout

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