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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: object · court · chest · bark · land · rash · fine · plane

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. court — of a king
  3. object — to protest
  4. chest — of your body
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. land — ground
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. object — a thing
  9. court — of law
  10. bark — to shout
  11. object — an aim
  12. rash — hasty
  13. land — to come down
  14. chest — a box
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. court — for sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rash — a series
  23. fine — all right
  24. land — a country

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