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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. swing — to play on
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. swing — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — in golf
  16. land — ground
  17. court — for sport
  18. scale — size or range

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