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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: mouse · ball · scale · court · last · bulb · lash · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. court — of law
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. court — of a king
  5. last — final
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. track — a path
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. court — for sport
  15. last — to go on
  16. scale — in music
  17. track — a song
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. ball — a great time
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. ball — a dance
  24. last — finally

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