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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: mouse · court · toast · hand · nail · wind · tube · squash

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. toast — bread
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tube — a container
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hand — help
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  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