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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. drill — a practice
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. key — in music
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitch — completely
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. key — the most important part
  16. court — of a king
  17. drill — army training
  18. ball — a dance
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. key — for a lock
  24. drill — the tool

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