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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 120 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: scale · bowl · court · tube · cap · chest · calf · swing

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. swing — in golf
  4. scale — in music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — of a king
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tube — a container
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. swing — music
  13. court — of law
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. court — for sport
  20. chest — a box
  21. cap — of ice
  22. scale — size or range
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cap — a hat

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