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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.

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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: drill · bore · leaves · nail · court · toast · ground · wind

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. court — of a king
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ground — the earth
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bore — to tire
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wind — moving air
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bore — to drill
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. toast — bread
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. nail — for a hammer

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