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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. key — in music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. scale — in music
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. court — of a king
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fine — high quality
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fine — all right
  12. court — of law
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. key — the most important part
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. scale — size or range
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. leaves — of a tree

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