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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. scale — size or range
  3. row — a line
  4. object — an aim
  5. court — of a king
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. object — to protest
  9. row — to paddle
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. file — a document
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. file — a line of people
  18. scale — in music
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. board — to get on
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. object — a thing
  24. straw — dry grass

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