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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. scale — in music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. court — of law
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bound — tied together
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. court — for sport
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. shower — rain
  15. bound — certain
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bound — obliged
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ball — a great time
  21. court — of a king
  22. pass — a permit
  23. shower — to wash
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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