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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. shower — rain
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. court — for sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. game — a match
  8. bat — the animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. court — of law
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. shower — to wash
  19. hand — in cards
  20. court — of a king
  21. face — part of the head
  22. scale — size or range
  23. hand — help
  24. face — to point toward

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