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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 · stick · fall · file · leaves · toast · bark · mug

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. court — of law
  2. mug — a face
  3. file — a tool
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. toast — bread
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bark — to shout
  19. court — for sport
  20. file — a document
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fall — the season
  23. toast — the most admired
  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