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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.

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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 · roll · mark · pound · swing · nail · sharp · pitcher

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. roll — a cake
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. roll — a list
  9. swing — music
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mark — a grade
  12. court — of a king
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — of law
  23. sharp — clever
  24. swing — to play on

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