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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ground — a position
  3. court — of a king
  4. drill — a practice
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. court — for sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. ground — crushed
  16. key — the most important part
  17. court — of law
  18. ground — the earth
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bark — to shout
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rest — a break
  24. key — 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