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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: net · key · tear · roll · calf · row · cue · court

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — in sport
  3. court — of law
  4. net — for catching
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. key — for a lock
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cue — for pool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. key — in music
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. court — for sport
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cue — a hint
  15. roll — a cake
  16. key — the most important part
  17. row — to paddle
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. roll — a list
  20. net — after costs
  21. court — of a king
  22. row — a line
  23. cue — a signal
  24. calf — a young animal

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