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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.

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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 · bark · can · suit · court · file · fan · board

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. file — a tool
  3. suit — to fit
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rest — what's left
  7. board — a committee
  8. can — to be able to
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. court — of a king
  11. suit — clothes
  12. rest — a break
  13. bark — to shout
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. can — a tin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. file — a document
  19. court — for sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. court — of law
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. board — to get on

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