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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: track · mark · lean · scale · chair · court · cell · foot

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. track — a song
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. track — a path
  10. cell — in biology
  11. court — of a king
  12. mark — a trace
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. court — for sport
  16. lean — thin
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mark — a grade
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. lean — to bend
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lean — to rest against

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