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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 is in your ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. scale — size or range
  3. drill — the tool
  4. scale — in music
  5. court — of law
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. file — a tool
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lie — to recline
  13. file — a document
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. root — the cause
  16. drill — army training
  17. root — of a word
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. drill — a practice
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. court — of a king
  23. root — of a plant
  24. file — a line of people

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