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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · cabinet · court · racket · sharp · drill · ruler · fall

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. drill — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. sharp — clever
  13. march — music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fall — the season
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. march — the month
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cabinet — ministers

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