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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: rest · tear · court · plane · cabinet · toast · sharp · scale

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rest — a break
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — of law
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tear — to rip
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. court — for sport
  11. toast — bread
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — size or range
  15. court — of a king
  16. tear — from crying
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. plane — a tool
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. tear — from crying
  24. sharp — exactly

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