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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: kick · hide · date · scale · court · cell · last · staff

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. staff — employees
  5. cell — in biology
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. staff — employees
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cell — a phone
  15. court — of a king
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. staff — a stick
  18. date — the fruit
  19. court — for sport
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — final
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. date — on the calendar
  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