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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. court — of a king
  3. drill — the tool
  4. court — of law
  5. lean — thin
  6. file — a line of people
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. file — a tool
  10. lie — to recline
  11. file — a document
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rest — a break
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. court — for sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lean — to bend
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. drill — a practice

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