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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. court — for sport
  3. dip — to sink
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. object — to protest
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. object — an aim
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. court — of law
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. object — a thing
  16. scale — in music
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. court — of a king
  22. scale — size or range
  23. staff — a stick
  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