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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · ball · court · mouse · nail · game · bay · rule

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. ball — a great time
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rule — government
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — a match
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. court — of a king
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rule — a law
  21. court — of law
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. drill — army training

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