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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · wind · nail · temple · racket · spell

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spell — letters
  3. court — for sport
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wind — moving air
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. court — of law
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of a king
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spell — magic
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. temple — a place of worship
  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