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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.

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: bore · shower · court · track · club · row · roll · tear

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. tear — to rip
  3. court — of a king
  4. row — a line
  5. club — a group
  6. shower — to wash
  7. tear — from crying
  8. court — of law
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bore — to drill
  11. track — a path
  12. court — for sport
  13. bore — to tire
  14. tear — from crying
  15. shower — rain
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. club — for golf
  18. row — to paddle
  19. track — to keep track
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. track — a song
  22. club — for dancing
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. roll — a list

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