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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. file — a tool
  3. fall — the season
  4. court — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. staff — employees
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. court — of a king
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rest — what's left
  12. staff — a stick
  13. file — a document
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. staff — employees
  17. fall — to drop
  18. race — a contest
  19. rest — a break
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — humankind
  22. pound — a weight
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rest — what's left

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