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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 116 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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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: snap · deal · band · court · scale · dip · pit · rest

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. band — a music group
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. band — a ring
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pit — in a race
  11. scale — in music
  12. rest — a break
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. scale — size or range
  17. court — for sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. court — of a king
  21. dip — to sink
  22. court — of law
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. dip — a sauce

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