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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: court · rock · rash · snap · staff · net · trunk · suit

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. suit — to fit
  3. staff — a stick
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. court — of law
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rash — a series
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. suit — clothes
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. suit — in cards
  17. rock — music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. snap — to click
  21. court — of a king
  22. net — in sport
  23. court — for sport
  24. rock — a stone

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