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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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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 · chest · net · cue · bore · kick · court · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cue — for pool
  3. net — in sport
  4. kick — in football
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cue — a signal
  7. drill — army training
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bore — to tire
  11. court — of law
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cue — a hint
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. chest — a box
  19. key — the most important part
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bore — to drill
  24. net — after costs

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