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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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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: band · can · nail · drill · hand · ball · court · fan

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. court — of a king
  3. drill — army training
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. can — to be able to
  6. ball — a great time
  7. hand — help
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. court — of law
  10. hand — in cards
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a ring
  13. ball — a dance
  14. band — a music group
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. drill — a practice
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. court — for sport
  24. ball — a round shape

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