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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. scale — size or range
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a great time
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. court — of law
  12. shower — to wash
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. ball — a dance
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. scale — in music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. shower — rain
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ball — a round shape

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