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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: chest · firm · game · trunk · bore · last · court · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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. chest — a box
  4. firm — decided
  5. last — finally
  6. game — a match
  7. firm — a company
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. bore — to drill
  11. court — of a king
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. last — final
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chest — of your body
  24. firm — steady

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