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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: ball · court · cap · content · squash · row · scale · cabinet

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. court — of law
  3. row — a line
  4. scale — in music
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cap — a lid
  10. squash — the sport
  11. content — happy
  12. ball — a great time
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. scale — size or range
  15. court — of a king
  16. ball — a dance
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. court — for sport
  24. content — the amount

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