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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.

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: mate · ball · leaves · court · staff · scale · chest · tube

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. court — of a king
  3. ball — a dance
  4. staff — a stick
  5. tube — a container
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. staff — employees
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mate — a friend
  12. scale — in music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mate — to breed
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chest — a box
  18. court — of law
  19. ball — a great time
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — for sport
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ball — a round shape

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