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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 · scale · rule · sharp · fork · toast · file · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fork — in a road
  4. toast — bread
  5. scale — in music
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. sharp — clever
  10. file — a document
  11. swing — to play on
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. court — of law
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. court — for sport
  16. scale — size or range
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. swing — music
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. file — a tool
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. court — of a king

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