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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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. cold — an illness
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. scale — size or range
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cold — not warm
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. scale — for weighing

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