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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pitch — completely
  3. court — of law
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. court — for sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. kick — in football
  12. court — of a king
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. roll — a cake
  24. scale — in music

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