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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 116 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: stick · straw · drill · court · racket · scale · file · stand

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. court — of a king
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. court — of law
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. court — for sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. drill — the tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. drill — army training
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. file — a tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. scale — for weighing

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