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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: bay · scale · prune · pass · hand · jam · object · court

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. court — of law
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. object — an aim
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. court — for sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. hand — help
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. prune — to trim
  21. object — to protest
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. court — of a king
  24. jam — in traffic

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