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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: toast · roll · sharp · file · rule · court · squash · mark

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. file — a tool
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rule — government
  7. squash — the sport
  8. court — for sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. toast — bread
  13. sharp — clever
  14. file — a document
  15. rule — a law
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. roll — a list
  18. mark — a trace
  19. squash — to crush
  20. court — of a king
  21. file — a line of people
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. roll — on a roll

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