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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: club · court · nail · toast · kick · roll · tube · game

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. roll — a cake
  3. game — wild animals
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tube — the underground
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. kick — in football
  10. roll — a list
  11. club — a group
  12. game — a match
  13. toast — bread
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. club — for dancing
  16. court — for sport
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. club — for golf
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. tube — a container
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. tube — in a tire

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