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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: saw · bark · tube · content · foot · nail · rule · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. saw — the tool
  8. content — happy
  9. rule — a law
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. saw — the tool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. tube — a container
  19. rule — government
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. foot — a measure

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