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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.

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: scale · rule · net · hand · court · track · wave · mouse

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. track — a path
  3. court — for sport
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. scale — in music
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. net — for catching
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. net — after costs
  17. rule — a law
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. track — a song
  20. hand — in cards
  21. track — to keep track
  22. net — in sport
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. mouse — for a computer

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