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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: hand · chair · suit · court · bark · track · pass · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. suit — to fit
  3. hand — help
  4. court — of a king
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. can — a tin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. track — a song
  10. bark — to shout
  11. suit — clothes
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. can — to be able to
  14. hand — in cards
  15. chair — a leader
  16. court — of law
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. suit — in cards
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. track — a path
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. court — for sport

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