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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pass — a permit
  3. ground — crushed
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — in music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. court — for sport
  8. ground — the earth
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. court — of law
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. ground — a position
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. scale — size or range
  22. hand — help
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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