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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · current · charge · last · scale · pitcher · key · foot

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. court — of law
  6. scale — in music
  7. charge — in control
  8. current — of water
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. current — electric
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. last — finally
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — of a king
  16. scale — size or range
  17. court — for sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — the most important part
  20. last — to go on
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. last — final
  23. current — happening now
  24. key — in music

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