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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 120 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
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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: rest · court · game · clip · bark · pop · key · mouse

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pop — soda
  3. clip — a video
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. game — a match
  7. pop — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — to cut
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rest — a break
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. key — in music
  24. mouse — the animal

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