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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · court · mate · cell · chip · scale

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cell — in biology
  3. court — of a king
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mate — to breed
  6. court — for sport
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. scale — in music
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. court — of law
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pit — a hole
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pit — in a race

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