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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. court — of law
  3. season — of the year
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. court — of a king
  7. hand — help
  8. cue — for pool
  9. scale — in music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — letters
  16. scale — size or range
  17. season — in sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spell — magic
  21. drill — army training
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — in cards
  24. court — for sport

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