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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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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. chest — a box
  3. scale — size or range
  4. court — for sport
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chest — of your body
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. court — of law
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — of the year
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — in music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cue — a hint
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cue — a signal

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