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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.

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 · season · fan · racket · court · mark · object · mug

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — of a king
  3. season — in sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mark — a trace
  7. scale — size or range
  8. object — to protest
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mug — to rob
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. scale — in music
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. season — of the year
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. object — a thing
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. object — an aim
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mark — a grade

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