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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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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: court · rule · rest · pitcher · bore · bay · trunk · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. court — for sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rule — a law
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. key — the most important part
  14. court — of law
  15. rule — government
  16. rest — a break
  17. bore — to drill
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. key — in music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bore — to tire
  23. court — of a king
  24. pitcher — a jug

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