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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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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: march · court · racket · nail · kick · net · key · pound

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. court — for sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. net — in sport
  8. march — the month
  9. court — of a king
  10. march — music
  11. court — of law
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. net — after costs
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. key — the most important part
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. net — for catching

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