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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: net · swing · object · drill · rest · bark · court · track

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. swing — to play on
  3. track — a song
  4. swing — music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. court — of a king
  7. rest — a break
  8. object — an aim
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. net — after costs
  11. drill — a practice
  12. object — a thing
  13. swing — in golf
  14. court — of law
  15. rest — what's left
  16. track — a path
  17. drill — army training
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rest — what's left
  20. object — to protest
  21. drill — the tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. bark — to shout
  24. court — for sport

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