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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: ball · court · bat · fine · arm · chip · scale · content

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. court — for sport
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chip — to eat
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ball — a great time
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. content — happy
  15. scale — in music
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. court — of law
  23. fine — all right
  24. court — of a king

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