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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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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: saw · rush · cell · nail · scale · court · band · board

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cell — in biology
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rush — hurry
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. band — a music group
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. board — to get on
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cell — a phone
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. board — a committee
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. court — of a king
  19. saw — the tool
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. band — a ring
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. nail — on a finger

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