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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. court — for sport
  4. key — the most important part
  5. court — of a king
  6. board — to get on
  7. key — in music
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. board — a committee
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stem — to come from
  16. court — of law
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. shower — rain
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. nail — on a finger

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