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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: pit · scale · cell · key · season · court · lash · rash

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cell — a phone
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rash — hasty
  7. key — for a lock
  8. scale — size or range
  9. season — in sport
  10. key — in music
  11. rash — a series
  12. pit — a hole
  13. scale — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. court — of a king
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. court — of 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