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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 · saw · pitcher · deal · bark · bay · dip · file

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. court — for sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. file — a line of people
  18. court — of law
  19. dip — to sink
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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