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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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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: sharp · march · fine · scale · saw · game · court · arm

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. scale — size or range
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. court — of a king
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fine — high quality
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — in music
  9. march — music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fine — all right
  12. game — a match
  13. court — for sport
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — of law
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. march — the month
  20. saw — the tool
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. sharp — clever

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