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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.

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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: scale · lash · perch · fine · court · drill · bat · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. drill — army training
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. court — for sport
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. court — of a king
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fine — all right
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fine — high quality
  17. drill — the tool
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ball — a great time
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fine — a penalty
  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