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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: date · court · racket · sharp · cabinet · field · bowl · scale

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. field — for sport
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. court — for sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. scale — size or range
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. field — a subject
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. field — farmland
  18. date — the fruit
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. sharp — clever
  23. scale — in music
  24. bowl — to roll

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