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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. sharp — clever
  4. file — a document
  5. current — happening now
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. drill — a practice
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. file — a line of people
  16. current — electric
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. current — of water

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