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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. scale — in music
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. season — of the year
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — in sport
  15. court — of law
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rest — a break
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. scale — size or range
  22. court — for sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. season — to add flavour

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