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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 120 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: court · bark · nail · fine · chair · pop · mate · track

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. court — of a king
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pop — music
  13. fine — all right
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mate — a partner
  19. track — a song
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pop — soda
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. track — a path

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