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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · shower · court · drill · can · wax · key · pit

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. can — a tin
  3. drill — a practice
  4. key — in music
  5. pit — in a race
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — of law
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fork — in a road
  10. court — for sport
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. shower — rain
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. drill — army training
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pit — a hole
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. court — of a king
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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