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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: rule · key · fall · bowl · court · file · foot · press

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. file — a document
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. court — of law
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. court — for sport
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. press — a publisher
  19. court — of a king
  20. key — in music
  21. press — to push
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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