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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: present · chip · can · hide · scale · lean · bat · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. can — to be able to
  4. court — of a king
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lean — to bend
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. can — a tin
  14. present — there
  15. scale — in music
  16. can — a tin
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lean — thin
  19. chip — to eat
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bat — the animal
  22. present — the time now
  23. scale — size or range
  24. present — a gift

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