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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: court · row · nail · hand · calf · track · bear · stock

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — a line
  5. bear — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. court — of law
  10. hand — in cards
  11. row — to paddle
  12. track — to keep track
  13. court — of a king
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. hand — help
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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