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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 116 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: ruler · court · last · rash · clip · scale · fall · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. cap — a lid
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. scale — in music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — of law
  9. clip — a video
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. clip — for paper
  12. court — for sport
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fall — to drop
  17. last — to go on
  18. rash — a series
  19. fall — the season
  20. cap — a hat
  21. last — finally
  22. rash — hasty
  23. last — final
  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