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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 116 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. fork — in a road
  5. net — in sport
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. clip — a video
  10. court — for sport
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fall — to drop
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. net — for catching
  17. fall — the season
  18. clip — for paper
  19. court — of law
  20. fall — to drop
  21. net — after costs
  22. fine — high quality
  23. track — a path
  24. fine — all right

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