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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: race · ruler · court · cabinet · coach · bark · file · ground

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. file — a tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. ground — the earth
  9. race — humankind
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. court — of law
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. race — the arms race
  16. court — for sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — a position
  21. race — a contest
  22. bark — to shout
  23. court — of a king
  24. file — a document

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