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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. court — for sport
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bound — certain
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. file — a tool
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bound — tied together
  12. kick — in football
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. file — a document
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kid — child
  22. court — of law
  23. bound — obliged
  24. court — of a king

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