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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: nail · mine · rock · racket · fall · court · file · fine

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. file — a tool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fall — the season
  8. fine — all right
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rock — music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. court — of a king
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. court — for sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. file — a document
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fall — to drop
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rock — a stone
  24. racket — for tennis

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