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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 116 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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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: fork · tear · rock · court · row · bowl · key · last

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. key — in music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. court — for sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. last — to go on
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. last — final
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. row — a line
  18. tear — to rip
  19. last — finally
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. row — to paddle
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tear — from crying
  24. court — of a king

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