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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.

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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 · lash · straw · plane · pitcher · ball · capital · court

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. capital — a city
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. scale — size or range
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ball — a great time
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ball — a dance
  23. court — of a king
  24. plane — a tool

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