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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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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. game — a match
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rash — hasty
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. key — the most important part
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. court — of a king
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. stand — to bear
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. key — for a lock
  21. scale — in music
  22. key — in music
  23. court — of law
  24. rash — a series

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