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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: saw · chair · ruler · bay · court · hand · face · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. chair — a leader
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. court — for sport
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hand — in cards
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. face — to point toward
  13. court — of law
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. face — to confront
  18. hand — help
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. face — part of the head
  23. court — of a king
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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