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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: fine · temple · bass · court · scale · racket · hand · bound

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fine — all right
  9. scale — size or range
  10. court — for sport
  11. bass — the fish
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bass — low music
  15. scale — in music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bass — the instrument

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