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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — for sport
  4. drill — army training
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mate — a friend
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. ball — a great time
  10. court — of law
  11. drill — the tool
  12. court — of a king
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. file — a line of people
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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