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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: bore · tear · current · kid · bank · key · court · game

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. court — of a king
  3. tear — to rip
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bank — for money
  7. kid — child
  8. bank — for money
  9. current — electric
  10. court — of law
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. current — of water
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. key — in music
  15. bore — to tire
  16. game — a match
  17. kid — to tease
  18. game — wild animals
  19. current — happening now
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bank — of a river
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tear — from crying
  24. court — for sport

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