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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 120 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 · court · object · rest · fine · game · wound · wind

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — to drill
  4. object — a thing
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. fine — all right
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rest — a break
  15. fine — high quality
  16. object — to protest
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — for sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. game — wild animals
  21. court — of law
  22. wind — moving air
  23. object — an aim
  24. wound — an injury

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