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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 116 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: bear · ball · bark · snap · lean · court · fall · suit

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bear — the animal
  7. suit — to fit
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. court — of law
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fall — the season
  18. bark — to shout
  19. snap — to click
  20. ball — a great time
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lean — thin
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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