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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: straw · ball · scale · spell · sharp · stand · fan · court

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. scale — in music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stand — to bear
  10. court — of a king
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. scale — size or range
  14. ball — a dance
  15. court — for sport
  16. spell — magic
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. court — of law
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. fan — a supporter

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