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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. rest — a break
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. scale — in music
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. net — after costs
  14. chest — of your body
  15. net — in sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. court — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. chest — a box
  24. bulb — of a plant

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