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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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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: game · deal · perch · rest · court · season · race · scale

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. court — for sport
  3. game — wild animals
  4. race — the arms race
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rest — what's left
  9. perch — the fish
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. court — of law
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. race — humankind
  15. game — a match
  16. court — of a king
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. race — a contest
  20. season — in sport
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rest — a break
  23. season — of the year
  24. scale — 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