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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: bat · charge · sharp · court · scale · mark · snap · nail

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. court — of a king
  5. snap — to click
  6. charge — in control
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. charge — a price
  9. scale — in music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. court — of law
  14. mark — a trace
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. scale — size or range

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