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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: rest · season · can · ground · court · scale · bound · pound

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bound — certain
  3. season — in sport
  4. ground — crushed
  5. scale — in music
  6. season — of the year
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — for sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rest — what's left
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. court — of a king
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. ground — a position
  16. court — of law
  17. can — a tin
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rest — a break
  24. ground — the earth

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