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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.

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 · calf · bark · cap · swing · scale · spring · key

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. scale — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. court — for sport
  5. key — in music
  6. court — of a king
  7. spring — a coil
  8. swing — music
  9. court — of law
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. cap — a lid
  13. spring — of water
  14. cap — a hat
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bark — to shout
  17. scale — size or range
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. swing — to play on
  24. spring — the season

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