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

Word bank: pound · game · nail · pop · court · sharp

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pop — to visit
  3. game — a match
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. court — for sport
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pop — music
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. court — of law
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. court — of a king
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pop — soda
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pound — a weight
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. nail — for a hammer

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