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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — of a king
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. snap — to click
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a song
  9. court — of law
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bore — to drill
  19. court — for sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bore — gave birth

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