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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cue — a hint
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. object — a thing
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. game — wild animals
  9. scale — size or range
  10. court — of a king
  11. hand — help
  12. drill — army training
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. object — an aim
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. game — a match
  17. cue — for pool
  18. object — to protest
  19. cue — a signal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hand — in cards
  23. court — for sport
  24. scale — in music

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