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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: court · can · tear · rash · patient · key · nail · jam

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. key — for a lock
  3. tear — to rip
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. can — a tin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. can — a tin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. court — for sport
  19. rash — a series
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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