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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
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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: cue · scale · net · craft · tear · court · file · key

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — in music
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. scale — size or range
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. file — a tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. court — of law
  11. craft — a skill
  12. cue — for pool
  13. file — a document
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tear — to rip
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. craft — boats
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cue — a hint
  23. key — in music
  24. tear — from crying

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