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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 116 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: court · pitch · mark · wound · nail · mouse · bulb · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. court — for sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bulb — for light
  15. court — of law
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. court — of a king
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mine — belonging to me

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