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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. court — of law
  5. craft — boats
  6. court — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. scale — size or range
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. scale — in music
  19. court — of a king
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. net — after costs
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. calf — a young animal

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