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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
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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 · ball · court · wake · wound · fan · calf · pound

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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 — in music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. court — for sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. court — of a king
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. key — the most important part
  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