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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · fork · date · game · court · track · row · arm

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rock — music
  8. track — a path
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. row — a line
  12. track — to keep track
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rock — a stone
  17. track — a song
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. court — for sport
  22. game — a match
  23. court — of a king
  24. game — a kind of play

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