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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: court · mouse · fall · object · mine · nail · bass · scale

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — of law
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fall — to drop
  7. object — a thing
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. object — to protest
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. scale — in music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mine — for digging
  21. scale — size or range
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — the season
  24. object — an aim

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