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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bay · net · bark · court · pop · scale · pass · rest

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. net — in sport
  5. pop — music
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. net — for catching
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pop — soda
  21. net — after costs
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. scale — in music
  24. rest — a break

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