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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: ball · court · roll · scale · hand · wave · field · mouse

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. field — farmland
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. field — a subject
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. court — of law
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. scale — in music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. roll — a cake
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. field — for sport

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