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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: lean · court · pit · track · drill · ruler · bark · ball

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lean — thin
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. court — of law
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. track — a path
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. court — for sport
  22. drill — army training
  23. court — of a king
  24. bark — to shout

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