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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: nail · court · suit · pitcher · drill · date · root · jam

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. drill — the tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. court — of law
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. drill — a practice
  17. date — the fruit
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — for sport
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. drill — army training
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. suit — to fit

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