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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rash — a series
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cell — in biology
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. hand — in cards
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. court — of law
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. court — of a king
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — help
  23. drill — army training
  24. court — for sport

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