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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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Word bank
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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: court · staff · last · deal · shower · cabinet · bowl · object

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. shower — rain
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. last — final
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. deal — to handle
  8. object — an aim
  9. last — finally
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. shower — to wash
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. object — to protest
  16. staff — employees
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. court — for sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. object — a thing
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. court — of law

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