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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  3. degree — an amount
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. court — of a king
  7. drill — a practice
  8. court — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. can — to be able to
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. drill — army training
  16. staff — a stick
  17. degree — from a university
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. staff — employees
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. degree — temperature
  23. can — a tin
  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