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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of law
  4. tube — the underground
  5. court — of a king
  6. staff — employees
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rash — hasty
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — for catching
  12. court — for sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rock — music
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — a series
  24. tube — a container

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