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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. current — of water
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. current — electric
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. drill — army training
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. row — a line
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. drill — the tool
  17. current — happening now
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. court — of law
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bore — to drill

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