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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 · mug · game · kid · nail · rock · march · court

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rock — music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. mug — a face
  8. march — the month
  9. mug — a cup
  10. march — the month
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rock — a stone
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. court — of law
  20. game — a match
  21. court — for sport
  22. kid — child
  23. game — wild animals
  24. court — of a king

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