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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: race · court · toast · temple · bark · trunk · fork · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. race — the arms race
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — of a king
  5. bark — to shout
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. race — a contest
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. court — of law
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. court — for sport
  14. fork — in a road
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. race — humankind
  20. row — to paddle
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. toast — bread
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fork — to eat with

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