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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: bat · drill · object · court · game · spell · lean · cabinet

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. object — to protest
  3. drill — army training
  4. lean — to bend
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. court — of law
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. object — an aim
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — letters
  17. lean — thin
  18. spell — magic
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. object — a thing
  21. spell — a short time
  22. game — a match
  23. court — for sport
  24. bat — the animal

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