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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: bound · court · pop · game · stick · mouse · scale · lash

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pop — soda
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pop — music
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. game — a match
  16. bound — tied together
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. court — of a king
  20. scale — in music
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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