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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. face — to confront
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. scale — size or range
  9. court — of a king
  10. ground — a position
  11. face — to point toward
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. scale — in music
  16. deal — to handle
  17. ground — crushed
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. court — for sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. face — part of the head
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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