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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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: coach · scale · wake · key · arm · bay · court · mine

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. key — the most important part
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. court — for sport
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. scale — in music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. scale — size or range
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wake — a trail
  23. key — in music
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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