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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 · pitcher · bark · fine · bass · deal · leaves · stand

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. court — of law
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stand — to bear
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bass — low music
  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