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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: game · court · fall · pass · arm · file · mouse · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fall — the season
  4. rock — music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. court — of a king
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. game — wild animals
  18. court — for sport
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a match
  23. court — of law
  24. file — a document

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