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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: key · can · fall · lie · pitcher · nail · bore · court

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. key — the most important part
  2. court — for sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bore — to tire
  6. fall — the season
  7. court — of a king
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. can — to be able to
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fall — to drop
  12. key — in music
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. can — a tin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bore — to drill
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. key — for a lock
  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