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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: court · net · bay · swing · bark · can · rest · game

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — after costs
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. game — a match
  14. bark — to shout
  15. swing — in golf
  16. game — wild animals
  17. court — of law
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. net — in sport
  20. swing — music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rest — a break
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. net — for catching

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