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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. scale — size or range
  4. net — after costs
  5. drill — a practice
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. court — for sport
  9. net — in sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. staff — employees
  13. scale — in music
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. court — of a king
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — for catching
  19. staff — a stick
  20. drill — army training
  21. staff — employees
  22. bank — of a river
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bank — for money

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