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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. court — of law
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hand — help
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lean — to bend
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. key — the most important part
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lean — thin
  17. degree — from a university
  18. hand — in cards
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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