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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: cell · bound · nail · fan · court · snap · bore · fall

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bound — certain
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fall — the season
  14. court — of a king
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. court — of law
  18. snap — to click
  19. bore — to tire
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — for a hammer

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