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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: stick · bulb · coach · game · file · bark · court · mug

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. court — of a king
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bulb — for light
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. file — a tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. game — a match
  12. mug — to rob
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. mug — a face
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. file — a line of people
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. file — a document
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bark — to shout
  24. court — of law

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