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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: nail · pit · court · perch · drill · chest · wax · leaves

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. court — for sport
  3. chest — a box
  4. drill — the tool
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. drill — army training
  10. court — of a king
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. drill — a practice
  13. perch — the fish
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wax — to grow
  18. court — of law
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. leaves — lets stay

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