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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: race · bowl · court · can · swing · scale · bound · press

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. bound — certain
  4. swing — music
  5. race — a contest
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. court — for sport
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. race — the arms race
  12. court — of a king
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. race — humankind
  16. swing — in golf
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. can — a tin
  23. scale — size or range
  24. court — of law

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