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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: court · content · object · degree · nail · lie · bound · stock

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. court — of a king
  3. object — an aim
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. object — a thing
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. content — happy
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lie — to recline
  15. object — to protest
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. content — the amount
  19. bound — certain
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bound — tied together

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