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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: bore · deal · fine · court · spell · nail · last · fork

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. 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. last — to go on
  3. court — for sport
  4. bore — to drill
  5. last — final
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. court — of a king
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spell — letters
  14. last — finally
  15. spell — a short time
  16. deal — to handle
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. spell — magic
  20. court — of law
  21. fine — all right
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fine — high quality
  24. 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