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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: spell · scale · court · bass · squash · stick · pitcher · hand

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. court — of law
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. squash — to crush
  6. scale — in music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. court — of a king
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. spell — letters
  21. hand — help
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spell — magic
  24. pitcher — a jug

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