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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. court — of a king
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fall — the season
  10. track — a song
  11. fall — to drop
  12. key — in music
  13. track — a path
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bore — to drill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of law
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bore — to tire
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fall — to drop

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