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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: coach · bark · court · cap · ground · key · nail · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ground — crushed
  5. key — in music
  6. bark — to shout
  7. court — for sport
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. court — of a king
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cap — a lid
  14. shower — to wash
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ground — a position
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cap — of ice
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. court — of law

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