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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: scale · club · field · roll · fork · content · court · wind

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. fork — in a road
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wind — moving air
  6. field — farmland
  7. court — of law
  8. content — the amount
  9. club — a group
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. club — for dancing
  13. field — a subject
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. club — for golf
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — of a king
  20. scale — in music
  21. field — for sport
  22. court — for sport
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. content — happy

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