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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: nail · game · kid · staff · temple · object · bark · court

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. game — a match
  4. court — of law
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. staff — employees
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. kid — child
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. court — for sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. object — an aim
  16. game — wild animals
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. court — of a king
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. kid — to tease

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