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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: kick · firm · bore · court · rash · fan · wound · spell

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spell — letters
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rash — a series
  11. wound — an injury
  12. court — of law
  13. bore — to drill
  14. firm — a company
  15. rash — hasty
  16. court — for sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kick — in football
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. spell — magic
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. kick — with a leg

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