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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 120 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: season · scale · fall · mine · court · coach · nail · present

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — of the year
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. court — for sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mine — for digging
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. fall — the season
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. present — there
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. present — a gift
  20. scale — in music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. present — the time now
  23. season — in sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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