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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: court · field · rule · scale · pitcher · ball · pop · cue

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cue — a hint
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cue — a signal
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pop — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cue — for pool
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. court — for sport
  14. field — for sport
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. pop — soda
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rule — government
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rule — a law

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