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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cue — for pool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. court — of law
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. file — a document
  11. cue — a signal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. key — in music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. spell — letters
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fine — all right
  18. hand — in cards
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. hand — help
  21. spell — magic
  22. key — for a lock
  23. court — of a king
  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