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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 120 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: ball · key · court · ruler · drill · ground · rest · bat

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rest — a break
  5. court — of law
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bat — the animal
  8. key — in music
  9. ground — crushed
  10. court — for sport
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ground — a position
  15. court — of a king
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rest — what's left
  19. key — for a lock
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ground — the earth

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