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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: fall · racket · court · content · mine · cue · nail · fork

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — happy
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. content — the amount
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fall — the season
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. court — of law
  11. fall — to drop
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — of a king
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cue — a signal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. court — for sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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