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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. court — of a king
  3. degree — an amount
  4. scale — size or range
  5. court — for sport
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. club — a group
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. club — for golf
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. club — for dancing
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. degree — from a university
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. court — of law
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ball — a dance
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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