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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 · last · straw · staff · lie · club · scale · roll

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. club — for dancing
  3. staff — employees
  4. last — to go on
  5. club — a group
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. staff — a stick
  11. roll — a list
  12. last — finally
  13. scale — in music
  14. last — final
  15. club — for golf
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. lie — to recline
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. roll — a cake
  23. scale — size or range
  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