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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: coach · suit · court · bark · content · land · saw · row

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. content — the amount
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. suit — clothes
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. land — a country
  8. court — of law
  9. saw — the tool
  10. suit — to fit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. content — happy
  13. row — to paddle
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. land — ground
  16. court — for sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. suit — in cards
  21. court — of a king
  22. land — to come down
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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