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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
468
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: can · chair · shower · court · land · race · bark · date

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. chair — a leader
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bark — to shout
  6. land — a country
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. can — a tin
  9. court — of a king
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. court — of law
  13. shower — to wash
  14. land — ground
  15. shower — rain
  16. race — the arms race
  17. court — for sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. race — humankind
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. race — a contest
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. can — to be able to

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