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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wake — a trail
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. saw — the tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. ball — a dance
  12. swing — music
  13. staff — a stick
  14. swing — to play on
  15. court — of law
  16. hand — in cards
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. court — for sport
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ball — a great time
  23. hand — help
  24. swing — in golf

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