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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 is in your ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. shower — to wash
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. court — of a king
  20. scale — size or range
  21. craft — boats
  22. pit — a hole
  23. craft — a skill
  24. court — of law

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