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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — a stick
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bass — low music
  11. court — of a king
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — size or range
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rest — a break
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. staff — employees
  23. scale — in music
  24. capital — a big letter

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