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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
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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: court · last · fine · lash · charge · game · scale · season

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. scale — in music
  4. fine — all right
  5. last — final
  6. fine — high quality
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. court — of a king
  10. charge — electricity
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. last — finally
  14. court — of law
  15. charge — a price
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. charge — in control
  19. last — to go on
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. court — for sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. scale — size or range

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