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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · court · racket · spell · scale · net · vault · kid

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. net — for catching
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — child
  5. spell — a short time
  6. net — after costs
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. spell — letters
  13. vault — a safe
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. net — in sport
  21. scale — in music
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spell — magic
  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