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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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · cap · chest · court · roll · swing · drill · row

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. drill — army training
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. court — of law
  5. cap — of ice
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. swing — music
  10. cap — a lid
  11. court — for sport
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. row — a line
  14. cap — a hat
  15. court — of a king
  16. swing — to play on
  17. roll — a cake
  18. swing — in golf
  19. scale — in music
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. roll — a list
  23. scale — size or range
  24. row — to paddle

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