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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. firm — steady
  3. land — a country
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fork — in a road
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. firm — decided
  10. plane — a tool
  11. court — for sport
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. land — ground
  15. firm — a company
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. vault — a safe
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bass — low music
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bass — the fish
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. court — of a king

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