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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bore — to tire
  3. drill — a practice
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bore — to drill
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. mark — a grade
  20. scale — in music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. dip — to sink
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. mark — a trace

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