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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. scale — in music
  3. court — of law
  4. pop — to visit
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pop — music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cell — a phone
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pop — soda
  16. rest — a break
  17. court — of a king
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — for sport
  20. file — a tool
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. file — a document
  24. kick — a thrill

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