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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: court · rash · press · fork · scale · kick · cap · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. fork — in a road
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. scale — size or range
  6. firm — steady
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. court — for sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. scale — in music
  15. court — of law
  16. kick — in football
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. press — to push
  20. cap — a hat
  21. firm — decided
  22. press — newspapers
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. court — of a king

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