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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · board · court · degree · object · bay · wound · date

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. court — for sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wound — an injury
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. object — to protest
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. court — of law
  15. scale — in music
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. date — the fruit
  18. object — a thing
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. degree — an amount
  22. court — of a king
  23. object — an aim
  24. wound — an injury

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