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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.

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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. 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 — in baseball
  2. court — for sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. bank — of a river
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. court — of a king
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. last — finally
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bank — for money
  11. can — to be able to
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. last — final
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bank — for money
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. court — of law
  20. last — to go on
  21. can — a tin
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. 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