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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · court · fork · scale · tear · rule

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fork — in a road
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rule — government
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rule — a law
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. court — for sport
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. scale — in music
  18. dip — to sink

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