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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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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: object · tear · racket · kid · court · nail · swing · drill

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. object — to protest
  3. tear — to rip
  4. drill — the tool
  5. swing — music
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. object — an aim
  8. tear — from crying
  9. object — a thing
  10. court — of law
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. swing — to play on
  15. kid — to tease
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. drill — army training
  18. court — for sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — a practice
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. swing — in golf
  24. kid — child

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