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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: bat · court · nail · fork · arm · track · object · wind

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. object — a thing
  3. track — a path
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. track — to keep track
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bat — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. object — an aim
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. object — to protest
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. track — a song
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fork — a garden tool

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