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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: bark · tube · firm · spell · pitch · wind · court · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. bark — to shout
  6. court — of law
  7. firm — steady
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. firm — a company
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitch — completely
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. court — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. tube — a container
  19. firm — decided
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spell — letters
  24. court — of a king

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