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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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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: last · court · ruler · ball · bark · toast · trunk · kid

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. kid — child
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. court — for sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. last — to go on
  10. toast — bread
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — of law
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. last — finally
  17. bark — to shout
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. court — of a king
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bark — of a tree

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