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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: stock · nail · scale · court · cabinet · mug · bound · ruler

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stock — goods
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. scale — in music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. court — for sport
  7. bound — tied together
  8. court — of law
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. mug — a cup
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bound — certain
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. scale — size or range
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. court — of a king
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stock — shares

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