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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 120 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: snap · key · rush · kid · wound · court · game · drill

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kid — child
  3. drill — army training
  4. game — wild animals
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. court — of a king
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. key — the most important part
  9. court — for sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. drill — a practice
  15. kid — to tease
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. game — a match
  19. key — in music
  20. drill — the tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rush — hurry
  23. snap — to click
  24. court — of law

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