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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 116 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: bark · rule · court · staff · sharp · bound · suit · file

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. court — of law
  3. bark — to shout
  4. file — a line of people
  5. suit — clothes
  6. staff — employees
  7. file — a tool
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. court — of a king
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — clever
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. file — a document
  20. court — for sport
  21. bound — certain
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. suit — in cards
  24. suit — to fit

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