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

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. file — a tool
  3. roll — a list
  4. can — a tin
  5. file — a document
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. can — to be able to
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. staff — employees
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. roll — a cake
  18. court — of law
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. file — a line of people
  21. game — a match
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — army training
  24. game — wild animals

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