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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
468
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: court · rash · suit · pound · date · pitcher · fork · bear

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. court — of law
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fork — in a road
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bear — the animal
  21. suit — clothes
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pitcher — a jug

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