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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: fan · track · rush · bark · plane · sharp · court · jam

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. sharp — clever
  8. track — a path
  9. bark — to shout
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. track — a song
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — of law
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. court — of a king
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rush — hurry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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