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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: bear · fork · roll · jam · court · cue · tear · file

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. roll — a list
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. file — a line of people
  14. court — for sport
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bear — the animal
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. roll — a cake
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. cue — for pool
  24. tear — to rip

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