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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. court — of law
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. track — a path
  5. scale — in music
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. track — a song
  9. stem — to come from
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. court — of a king
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — for sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. net — after costs
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rash — a series

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