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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. object — to protest
  3. ball — a dance
  4. object — a thing
  5. ball — a great time
  6. court — for sport
  7. scale — size or range
  8. game — a match
  9. bank — of a river
  10. game — wild animals
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. object — an aim
  13. scale — in music
  14. bank — for money
  15. court — of a king
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bank — for money
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wound — an injury
  21. court — of law
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. kick — with a leg

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