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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. date — the fruit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. court — of a king
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. spring — a coil
  9. key — in music
  10. court — for sport
  11. spring — of water
  12. key — the most important part
  13. row — to paddle
  14. drill — a practice
  15. staff — employees
  16. drill — army training
  17. chip — to eat
  18. row — a line
  19. chip — for betting
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — the season
  24. date — on the calendar

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