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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · court · kick · drill · object · key

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. drill — the tool
  3. court — for sport
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. court — of a king
  10. object — to protest
  11. kick — in football
  12. drill — army training
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. object — a thing
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. court — of law
  17. drill — a practice
  18. key — for a lock

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