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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: pop · court · track · object · nail · fork · fall · bound

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. track — a path
  3. fall — the season
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — to visit
  6. court — for sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fall — to drop
  12. object — a thing
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bound — tied together
  16. track — a song
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bound — certain
  20. object — an aim
  21. bound — obliged
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. pop — music

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