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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: game · cabinet · nail · court · board · pop · bulb · fork

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. court — of a king
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fork — in a road
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pop — music
  7. board — a committee
  8. game — a match
  9. bulb — for light
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. court — of law
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pop — soda
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. court — for sport
  17. board — to get on
  18. bulb — for light
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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